Social Prescribing
We are proud to be part of the social prescribing movement, collaborating with local communities, GP’s surgeries and link workers to offer activities for all ages. These range from movement, singing and storytelling to mindfulness, creative writing and pilates.
It is estimated that stress, anxiety and loneliness account for 60-80% of GP visits in the UK - as is 50% of all disease. Taking part in art, music, movement and creative activities in a group has been proven to benefit mental, physical and emotional health. Giving people the time and space to share their experiences while encouraging their creativity, boosts confidence and self-worth as well as a sense of connection and belonging. Research shows that this can lead to a more proactive approach to health, and Social Prescribing now plays a significant role in helping to ease the pressure on the NHS with visits to the GP reduced by an average of 24% and admissions to A&E down by an average of 28%.
Compassion and kindness are the cornerstones of our work, combined with the shared vision that creativity, connection and community are an essential part of the solution.
Below are our current Social Prescribing practitioners.
While all of the activities may have therapeutic effects, our practitioners are not therapists.
Social Prescribing
We are proud to be part of the social prescribing movement, collaborating with local communities, GP’s surgeries and link workers to offer activities for all ages. These range from movement, singing and storytelling to mindfulness, creative writing and pilates.
It is estimated that stress, anxiety and loneliness account for 60-80% of GP visits in the UK - as is 50% of all disease. Taking part in art, music, movement and creative activities in a group has been proven to benefit mental, physical and emotional health. Giving people the time and space to share their experiences while encouraging their creativity, boosts confidence and self-worth as well as a sense of connection and belonging. Research shows that this can lead to a more proactive approach to health, and Social Prescribing now plays a significant role in helping to ease the pressure on the NHS with visits to the GP reduced by an average of 24% and admissions to A&E down by an average of 28%.
Compassion and kindness are the cornerstones of our work, combined with the shared vision that creativity, connection and community are an essential part of the solution.
Below are our current Social Prescribing practitioners.
While all of the activities may have therapeutic effects, our practitioners are not therapists.
Jon Rees is an artist and photographer, having graduated from Byam Shaw School of Art at Central St Martins with a First Class Hons, BA in Fine Art. As part of his own recovery from mental health issues, addiction and homelessness he found photography incredibly important in making peace with the past and the present. He is now a trained practitioner of therapeutic photography. Over the 5 years, he has delivered his workshops to a variety of groups including; NHS staff, young disabled people, people in recovery from addiction, people who are experiencing homelessness, and new mums, among many others.
Jon is offering photography workshops, exploring different themes such as; identity, memory, loss and change. These are part of his ongoing Changing Perspectives project.
Audrey has been teaching yoga since 2002 and is qualified in the tradition of Krishnamacharya, holding a British Wheel of Yoga diploma. She is also a trained teacher of TRE (Tension or Trauma Release exercises) and works with people dealing with stressful situations, uncertainty, anxiety, and mind/body health issues, as well as those working through grief and PTSD.
TRE is a self-help method using simple exercises to activate the body's natural mechanism of shaking or trembling to release stress, tension, and trauma, thereby calming the nervous system and restoring balance.
Audrey is offering TRE sessions for groups or individuals as well as her own yoga classes.
Gerard is the Running Mayor for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the CEO and founder of the I Run You Walk collective. He also leads the Westside runners whose mission is to foster a vibrant and inclusive community through running in the diverse neighbourhoods of West London.
Gerard is offering running, walking and talking sessions, currently every Sunday 11 a.m. in Little Wormwood Scrubs, W10 5LL. Free to attend. Family Friendly. All abilities welcome.
Mary Louise has been working as a mindfulness teacher and mentor with adults, children and teens for 11 years privately, and in the workplace, schools and colleges for 15 years. Her mental and emotional wellbeing sessions include practical techniques to manage anxiety and stress, and simple strategies for self-care and self-compassion. Over the years, companies and corporations that she has given talks and workshops to include: Citibank, Rabobank, Deutsche Bank, The Mirror Group, Reuters and the Royal College of Nursing.
Mary Louise is offering Mental and Emotional Wellbeing sessions for adults, teens, children and families. These group sessions include storytelling, art and movement as well as practical techniques to manage anxiety and stress.
Raquel is a well-established teaches of Pilates and yoga, working in the local community at K&C Leisure centre, the Moberly, the Venture centre, the Westway centre, and Dalgarno. She also runs workshops combining Pilates, movement and playfulness. According to Frontiers in Psychology people with higher levels of playfulness are better equipped to cope with life’s challenges. They also experience deeper levels of mental engagement and joy.
Raquel is offering Movement and Playfulness sessions
Maryline is a transformational life coach with over 20 years of experience in the field of personal development. Her practice combines several different disciplines including the Human Givens framework, which focuses on the innate needs and resources we possess as human beings and psychosynthesis, a therapeutic approach that integrates the spiritual and psychological aspects of the human experience. She believes that all true healing begins with being listened to and heard, without judgement or the need to fix.
Maryline is offering her Listening Chair sessions of 20-30 minutes each, 1-1 or for small groups. She also offers 20 minute walks outside in nature, 1-1, where many people find it easier to share their problems.
Micky Pallant is a musician and actor and has run the Portobello Live! Community Arts festival and the Portobello Live! Choir for several years. He works as an activities coordinator at local care homes, working with residents who suffer mainly from dementia and a wide range of disabilities. He teaches guitar and ukulele, running groups for both adults and children.
Micky is offering the chance to sing in our community choir, either as a casual drop-in, or on a more permanent basis. All singing abilities welcome! He also offers individual and group guitar and ukulele lessons.
Lee is a yoga teacher and physical theatre performer. Since training as a Sivenanda yoga teacher in 2005, she has been teaching private clients, companies and institutions including the BBC, The London School of Economics and Wandsworth Prison. As a physical theatre performer she has performed with Ockham’s Razor and Tilted. Lee also works alongside the charities Aching Arms and Sands, creating physical theatre and storytelling workshops that give voice to those who have experience loss through miscarriage or stillbirth.
Lee is offering movement and storytelling sessions as part of her ‘Every Body tells a Story’ practice. These are open to everyone.
After a ten year career as a music journalist for a German pop magazine, Hattie became the first in-house writer at Comic Relief, working in a team on comedy projects with Richard Curtis, as well as interviewing project users including Rwandan widows, women experiencing domestic violence and child carers. Her first novel Cinema Lumiere topped the Amazon fiction charts and her second The Spectacular Vision of Oskar Dunkelblick was described as “a beautifully crafted tale about a young man’s spiritual transformation.” She is currently writing a book about the heart from a scientific, personal and spiritual perspective.
Hattie is offering sessions on: ‘Writing for Wellbeing’, ‘The Alchemy of Emotions’ and ‘Writing from the Heart'.