Case studies

Blackfriars Settlement

Blackfriars is a long and established settlement and community centre providing services for residents in and around SE1. A three year grant is supporting the core costs of the Settlement's Positive Ageing service to run a diverse programme of activities for local older people living in the north of Southwark.

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Clinical Health Checks

Clinical Health Checks is a community organisation set up in response to the marginalisation of older people – particularly from BAME communities – in accessing health care e.g., due to not being registered with a GP, difficulty navigating the online booking system and language barriers. The grant is supporting a walk-in health checks service at St John's Church Peckham so that older people can have health conditions identified and managed.

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Link Age Southwark

An unrestricted grant is contributing to Link Age’s core costs for 2 years. The charity provides high quality services that support over 850 older people in Southwark annually. These include volunteer befriending in homes and community settings, exercise and activity groups at various community venues, parties & events, transportation of older people with mobility issues to groups & events, regular newsletters and practical support.

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Elimhouse Community Association

Elimhouse Community Association is a small black-led charity providing services for mainly Afro-Caribbean older people from Peckham and the surrounding area. The grant is supporting the costs of a Centre Manager to run, and generate revenue for, the day centre over 3 years.

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Pembroke House

Pembroke House is a long-established settlement charity and community centre that works to improve the lives of residents and communities in Walworth, from its base at Tatum Street and more recently at the Walworth Living Room, Surrey Square. Responding to popular demand from local older people, the grant is supporting Pembroke House to re-provide the Lunch Club at its Tatum Street base in 2024.

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Centre for the Advancement of Development & Human Rights

The charity provides free legal services to people from migrant communities living in Southwark and beyond that are experiencing financial hardship, homelessness, problems with immigration status and/or destitute. The grant is supporting a Community Safety Net Fund for older migrants living in Southwark with no income, and no recourse to public funds.

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Copleston Centre

Copleston is a church and community centre that provides a programme of activities to older people living in and around East Dulwich and Peckham, including social activities, cultural trips, heathy meals, exercise and games. The grant is contributing towards the annual running costs of the Community Café for older people.

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Excel Beyond Barriers

Excel Beyond Barriers CIC is a new community organisation to support the well-being of older people, younger people and communities. The grant is supporting the cost of a new befriending service for older people, living in and around the Kingswood Estate, and day trips for local older people .

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Coin Street Centre Trust

Coin Street Centre Trust oversees Coin Street’s community programmes which serve residents from north Southwark. The grant is supporting a weekly coffee morning for older people at the Colombo Street community & sports centre in Bankside, SE1. Activities include quizzes, I.T. help with gadgets, chair yoga, guest speakers and trips to local venues.

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Older People's Network

The grant is supporting the running costs of Community Southwark's Older People's Network (2023 - 2027) which builds connections and collaboration between Southwark's voluntary and community organisations that provide services and activities for older people; and to improve policy, practice and services for Southwark’s older residents. The grant is also contributing to the annual Southwark Stars Awards, where older volunteers contribution to Southwark's vibrant communities are honoured.

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South London Mission

South London Mission is the community outreach arm of Bermondsey Central Hall Methodist Church and provides initiatives focussed on mitigating the impact of poverty including a foodbank, support to low-income mothers and children, and older people. The grant is supporting the costs of a new Projects Support Officer post to coordinate the charity’s projects and services for older people across three years.

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Illuminated Arts

Based in Peckham, Illuminated Arts is a Community Interest Company that engages communities with their social and cultural heritage through artistic projects and workshops and to showcase their stories and testimonies. The grant is supporting the costs of a ‘Stitching Communities’ textiles project which will work over 2 years in Southwark care homes, culminating in an end of project fashion show.

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Bonamy & Bramcote TRA

The TRA represents residents living in social housing properties on the Bonamy and Bramcote Estate, comprising around 400 properties, in South Bermondsey. The grants are supporting the costs of an older people's club and social activities delivered from the Links Community Centre, and a theatre trip. Photo credit: Southwark News

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Goshen Community Projects

Based in Camberwell, Goshen Community Projects is a charity that provides socially inclusive activities for people living in isolation and/or facing financial hardship, mental health issues and domestic abuse. The grant is supporting the running costs of the older women’s sewing classes at Camberwell Leisure Centre.

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Spring Community Hub

Spring Community Hub provides food bank services for low-income Southwark residents in Camberwell, Walworth (across 2 sites) and Old Kent Road; and provides wrap-around support for clients including employment and immigration advice, holiday clubs, a clothing bank and café and support for women experiencing domestic abuse. The grant is supporting the costs of the lunch club for low-income older residents in Southwark from the charity's new Vestry Road base.

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Draper Together

Draper Together is a local charity set up in 2017 to bring people together from the Draper Estate, in Elephant and Castle, and surrounding communities. It has, over the years, run exciting creative activities from the Draper Estate Hall including live theatre, film clubs and community festivals. The grant is supporting the costs of a documentary film club for local older people every fortnight for a year, starting in 2024.

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Barlow & Congreve TRA

Barlow and Congreve TRA operates ‘Doubtfire Hall’ on Tatum Street, Walworth, and provides a range of activities for residents in and around the Barlow and Congreve Estate which comprises around 550 social housing properties. The grant is supporting the running costs of the older people’s lunch and knitting club.

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Silverfit

Silverfit provides fun fitness and exercise activities for older people across London. The grant is supporting the costs of 5 weekly exercise sessions in Southwark across 2 years, including nordic walking, yoga and gym classes, at Burgess Park, Rotherhithe, Dulwich Park, Elephant Park and London South Bank University.

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Age UK Lewisham & Southwark

The grant is contributing towards the costs of a part-time Facilitator to help Southwark’s older residents aged 55 plus access support services & activities and financial support across the borough.

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Breath of Life

Based at Time & Talents Centre in Rotherhithe, Breath of Life works to bring people with breathing and associated mental health problems in Southwark together to learn techniques to manage their conditions more effectively and improve well-being. The grant is contributing towards the costs of weekly ‘singing for better breathing’ sessions for older people aged 55 plus.

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BLAS UK - Latin Age Society

BLAS is a new community organisation to promote the wellbeing of older Southwark residents that have Bolivian, Latin American and Spanish speaking heritages. The grant is supporting the costs of wellbeing activities for over 55’s living in Southwark.

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Arts for Dementia

Arts 4 Dementia provides community-based arts workshops for people with early-stage dementia and their carers. The grant is supporting a programme of art workshops for Southwark older people living with early-stage dementia at the Treehouse community space in Elephant & Castle.

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Ladies of Virtue Outreach

Based at Peckham Park Baptist Church Hall, LOVO was established in 2008 to improve the wellbeing, skills and employability of marginalised women mainly from low-income and BAME communities providing a secure environment of respect, tolerance and sisterhood in which women can seek emotional assistance and share their experiences with others. The grant is supporting a programme of wellbeing activities for older women.

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The Wells Trust

The Wells Trust is a charity that operates The Well Community Church in Wells Way, Camberwell. The Christian Church started a wellbeing group for older adults, mainly women from diverse backgrounds, in January 2023 during the Cost-of-Living crisis. The grant is supporting the running costs of the older adults wellbeing group and the costs of a seaside trip.

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LONDON SENIOR SOCIAL

LSS is a black led social enterprise providing help at home, day care and food delivery services to housebound older people aged 65 and above across Southwark. The grant supported the costs of its day care clubs at Rye Hill Tenants & Residents Hall on Tuesdays and at Age UK's Stones End centre on Saturdays and has been renewed for delivery at Trinity College Community Centre, Camberwell as well as Stones End.

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Grief Matters Southwark

Grief Matters Southwark is a charity providing face to face (through video conferencing) and telephone bereavement counselling services to adults in Southwark. The grant is supporting the costs of its bereavement counselling service for older clients on low incomes.

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Nunhead's Voice - The Ivy Club

Nunhead has the lowest life expectancy for men (74.1 years) and for women (80.4 years) in Southwark. The area is characterised by income deprived neighbourhoods and poor transport links. Our grant is supporting the running costs of the Ivy Club for older residents at Nunhead Green Community Centre, over 2 years, including weekly chair-based exercise, walking football, hair & manicure sessions, weekly refreshments plus trips to the seaside and theatre.

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Flashy Wings Ministry

Flashy Wings Ministry is a small, faith-based, registered charity that supports women mainly from low-income Black African and Black Caribbean communities in Southwark with issues around domestic violence, mental health and well-being. The grant is supporting a regular lunch club where older women socialise and discuss strategies to reduce anxiety with a life-coach.

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Magdalen Estate TRA

The Magdalen TRA serves a large social housing estate in West Bermondsey, by Tower Bridge Road, comprising St Saviour’s, Purbrook and Aylwin Estates with around 700 properties, and Magdalen Tenants Hall. The grant is supporting the costs of the weekly coffee mornings and activities for older estate residents for one year between July 2023 and July 2024.

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Blind Aid

Blind Aid is London's oldest charity for blind and visually impaired people, and its head office is in West Bermondsey. The grant is contributing towards the cost of a Sight Support Worker to provide Southwark's older residents experiencing visual impairment with practical and emotional support over the course of a year.

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Time and Talents

Time and Talents is a long established settlement and community centre in Rotherhithe. The grant is supporting the charity's ongoing work with local older people including its Neighbourhood Care service; Volunteer befriending service for those frail or housebound and support groups for those living with dementia and stroke survivors.

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Bermondsey Artists Group

Bermondsey Artists Group provides socially engaged art activities, events and learning from two galleries in Southwark Park - Café Gallery and Dilston Grove. The grant is supporting the costs of its Seniors Art School - a series of workshops for over 55's to learn to learn new art skills with a variety of contemporary artists in a sociable and relaxed setting.

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Camberwell Skylarks

Camberwell Skylarks is a community group that provides singing sessions for Southwark older residents living with Parkinson’s disease, to help strengthen their voices. The grant is supporting the costs of twice monthly singing sessions over 10 months for Parkinson's sufferers from Southwark at King’s College Hospital Chapel, Camberwell, in 2024.

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Art in the Park

Art in the Park delivers outdoor based arts and recreational activities across Southwark. The grant is supporting the charity to deliver a programme of trips to local galleries and museums and workshops for its regular group of older people that attend the Burgess Park art classes.

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Longfield Estate TRA

Longfield is a social housing estate with around 350 properties in South Bermondsey, set off Dunton Road, which connects Southwark Park Road and Old Kent Road. The grant is supporting the running costs of a weekly lunch club operated by Longfield Tenants and Residents Association at Setchell & Longfield Hall.

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Mental Fight Club

The Dragon Café was founded by Mental Fight Club over a decade ago to support people living with mental ill health. Initially based at St George the Martyr Church crypt in Borough, the Dragon Cafe provides a safe, welcoming and creative space every Monday for people to improve their mental health through a range of creative and physical activities such as art, singing, dancing, writing. Following a brief spell at Draper Hall, the service has recently moved into the crypt of St Peter’s Church Walworth where the grant is funding a programme of creative activities for people with mental ill health.

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MAN Elders Group

MAN is a registered charity that promotes the interests of Muslims. The grant is supporting the costs of monthly social meetings for its Elders Group at the Camberwell mosque, while the Old Kent Road mosque and cultural centre is being redeveloped, and the costs of an Elders Group trip to Brighton.

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Break The Barrier

Break the Barrier C.I.C. provides community activities and events for residents living in and around the Brandon 1 Estate, in West Walworth, one of Southwark’s largest social housing estates with thousands of properties set across multiple neighbourhoods. The grant is supporting a Summer seaside trip for older people, and we've previously supported the organisation's festive theatre trip (pictured).

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Goose Green Lunch Club

The Lunch Club comprises 30 older people from East Dulwich, Peckham, Camberwell and Walworth Road. It meets in the Goose Green Centre, St John's Church East Dulwich, every Thursday for lunch and socialising. The grant is contributing towards the club's trip to and meals at Woodcote Green Garden Centre in Surrey.

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Astley Cooper TRA

Astley & Cooper's Road is a large social housing estate on the Old Kent Road, opposite Burgess Park. The grant is contributing to the cost of a residential Summer trip to Torquay for older residents organised by the Estate's Tenants & Residents Association.

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Walworth Golden Oldies

Walworth Golden Oldies is a black led charity providing fun social activities for mainly Afro Caribbean older people, currently at Walworth Methodist Church. The grant is supporting the costs of providing weekly lunches and social activities for service users.

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St Paul's PCC Lorrimore Square

St Paul's Church has been serving Walworth's community since 1856. The grant is supporting Spring and Summer trips for local older people from diverse backgrounds who do not normally have the opportunity to leave London.

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Previously funded

Guinness Estate Pages Walk

The grant contributed to an event to mark the Platinum Jubilee on 4th June 2022 for all residents of the Guinness Trust Estate at Pages Walk by the New Kent Road. A significant proportion of the residents are older people aged 55 plus who have spent much of the last 2 years isolating. They enjoyed food and refreshments, a singalong and dancing with their neighbours.

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Mint Street Music Festival C.I.C.

Mint Street Music Festival (MSMF) provides live music, dance and arts activities at community venues and settings in Borough and Bankside. The grant supported MSMF to deliver live music and dance at the Age UK Stones End Day Centre's Platinum Jubilee celebrations on 1st June 2022.

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Southwark Warm Spaces

A collaboration between Southwark Charities and others to support around 25 Warm Spaces, during the cost-of-living crisis, providing activities for Southwark's older and vulnerable residents in Winter 2022/23. Our grants funded Warm Spaces at Age UK's Yalding Centre, Copleston Centre Peckham, Royal British Legion Club in Walworth; and Art in the Park and Ballers Academy to deliver sessions at Daffodil Cafe, Nunhead. See Community Southwark's website for further details.

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Creative Adult Play Time

Creative Adult Play Time is a community group that provides dance, exercise and wellness workshops at community and sheltered housing locations in Southwark. The grant supported the delivery of a programme of wellness and movement workshops in Southwark sheltered housing schemes.

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Elimhouse Community Association

Elimhouse Community Association is a small black-led charity providing services for mainly Afro-Caribbean older people from Peckham and the surrounding area. The grant supported the costs of a Development Worker over 2 years to increase services provision at the Elimhouse Centre, post pandemic.

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Southwark Pensioners Centre - Warm Space Winter 2023-24

Camberwell based Southwark Pensioners Centre (SPC) provides activities and services to Southwark older people (aged 50 plus). The grant supported the charity's Warm Space initiative for vulnerable and isolated Southwark older people in Winter 2023-2024.

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Purple Ladies

The female-led organisation began delivering community arts in Peckham in 2010. Its name commemorates Linda Dobell a lilac-loving actress and movement director. The grant supported the cost of the movement, wellbeing, social and skills workshops for older people at the Cossall Tenants & Residents Association Hall in Peckham.

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City Hope Church

City Hope is a Christian Church, charity and community centre in South Bermondsey. It provides a number of services to low-income and financially vulnerable Southwark residents, regardless of their background or faith. The grant supported the running costs of its Hope Tuesday Club for older people.

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Dot Collective - Alice in Arieland

The Dot Collective is a charity that provides professional theatre and reminiscence activities for people living in care homes and those living with dementia. The charity was founded in 2016 in memory of Laura Harling’s (Artistic Director) Nan, Dot, who died in a care home which had no suitable artistic provision that could have improved her quality of life. The grant supported the costs of an open air ‘Alice in Aerialand’ production, based on the classic 'Alice in Wonderland' story and storytelling workshops for older people across care homes and community venues in Southwark, Summer 2023.

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Millwall Community Trust

Millwall Community Trust provides sports, educational and engagement opportunities for communities mainly neighbouring Millwall Football Club in Southwark and Lewisham. The grant supported weekly walking football and sports sessions for older people at two venues – The Lions Centre at Millwall F.C. and St Paul’s Sports Ground Rotherhithe - for one year.

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Dot Collective - Elves and the Shoemaker

The Dot Collective is a charity that provides professional theatre and reminiscence activities for people living in care homes and those living with dementia. The charity was founded in 2016 in memory of Laura Harling’s (Artistic Director) Nan, Dot, who deteriorated and then died in a care home which had no suitable artistic provision that could have improved her quality of life. The grant supported the costs of the Collective's Winter 2023 theatre production tour – The Elves and the Shoemaker - and creative workshops for Southwark older people across sheltered housing, care homes and community settings.

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London Bubble

London Bubble is a charity and theatre company at Elephant Lane, Rotherhithe providing community theatre activities for children, young adults and older people. The grant supported the creation of a new theatrical production performed by its older adults performance group at sheltered housing venues in Bermondsey, Peckham and (funded by Rotherhithe Consolidated Charities) in Rotherhithe. Photo credit: John Stewart.

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Royal British Legion North Bermondsey Branch

Royal British Legion supports members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans and their families. The North Bermondsey branch of Royal British Legion was established last year by local residents. A small grant supported the costs of an event for Southwark veterans commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

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Rockingham Estate TRA

‘The Rockingham’ is a large social housing estate in Elephant & Castle, comprising 950 households. Its Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) aims to bring the community together through a range of activities at the Rockingham Community Centre, the management of which has recently been handed over to the TRA from Southwark Council. The grant is supporting weekly coffee mornings for older Estate residents including refreshments, socialising and support with I.T.

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Kingswood Estate TRA

The Kingswood is a large social housing estate in South Dulwich. In contrast to surrounding affluence, the Estate is situated in one of the top 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. Our grant to the Tenants & Residents Association (TRA) contributed to a weekly wellbeing club for older people for two years, including the costs of massage and yoga sessions, chair-based exercise and knitting sessions and refreshments, and a seaside coach trip for older people and their carers.

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Keetons Estate TRA

Keetons is a social housing estate with around 250 properties near Bermondsey tube station. The grant is supporting the costs of running a weekly yoga session for older Estate residents every Friday afternoon for six months followed by socialisation and refreshments.

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Dockland Settlements

Our grant supported two weekly walking sports clubs for Southwark older people over one year, at Dockland Settlements Rotherhithe and at The Links Community Centre on the Bonamy & Bramcote Estate in South Bermondsey. Activities were delivered by Ballers Academy C.I.C. a community sports provider in South London, and included bowls, cricket, bowling, golf, and fun games. The older people socialised together before and after the activities.

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English for Action

English for Action delivers ESOL courses to adult migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum in several London boroughs. The charity's courses are for those that can not access public provision due to long waiting lists, antisocial working hours, a lack of affordable childcare or insecure immigration status rendering them ineligible for courses. The grant supported the delivery of ESOL courses to 20 migrant women aged 60 plus living in Southwark. [Photo credit: Adela Belecova/EFA teacher]

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Lordship Lane Baptist Church

Lordship Lane Baptist Church is a faith-based organisation that has been operating a Lunch Club for older people for the last few years in East Dulwich, SE22. The grant supported the running costs of the Lunch Club during Winter 2023-24.

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Paxton Green Time Bank

Paxton Green Time Bank supports its members to help others by sharing their skills in return for a time credit which can be exchanged for receiving someone else’s time or (where available) theatre tickets and day trips; and provides social activities for older people. The grant is supporting the costs of its yoga exercise and knit & natter groups for older people attending the Time Bank hub on the Kingswood Estate in South Dulwich.

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Pecan

Pecan is a faith-based community charity that supports local residents experiencing significant challenges including financial hardship, food insecurity, learning disabilities, mental distress and substance abuse. The grant supported the ‘Together’ Community Hub which provided social activities for older residents – coffee mornings, crafts, discussion groups, walks and talks; chair-based exercise, support with application form filling for those that are digitally excluded or with learning disabilities, budgeting and energy efficiency workshops, and employment support from its Peckham HQ.

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Entelechy Arts

‘Bermondsey roaming’ is a series of creative workshops with residents of Tower Bridge Care Home, including art, poetry, writing, movement, memory cards (to simulate conversation), music, and singing. The activities are based on the needs and interests of residents and delivered by sessional artists at residents bedsides, and in communal spaces at the Care Home.

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Dot Collective - Dream Sequence

The Dot Collective is a charity that provides professional theatre and reminiscence activities for people living in care homes and those living with dementia. The charity was founded in 2016 in memory of Laura Harling’s (Artistic Director) Nan, Dot, who deteriorated and then died in a care home which had no suitable artistic provision that could have improved her quality of life. The grant supported the costs of the ‘Dream Sequence’ creative workshops and theatre production for older people living with dementia in Southwark.

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Southwark Playhouse

Based at Elephant & Castle, Southwark Playhouse delivers theatre productions, workshops and educational programmes with and for the local community. The grants contributed to (1) the facilitation costs of the 'Elders Company', comprising weekly drama sessions for older Southwark residents aged 65 plus. The older people developed their creative skills and performed theatre pieces at the Playhouse. (2) the 'Mind the Gap' production exploring common and shared experiences between the generations, including public performances in Southwark.

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London Bubble

The grant supported the delivery of Tea Break Theatre workshops at two sheltered housing schemes - Harry Lamborn House, Peckham and Ronald Buckingham Court, Rotherhithe as well as Bubble’s HQ. Facilitated by artists, the workshops brought out the older people’s self-expression, creativity, confidence and wellbeing through interactive role play, sketches and improvisation.

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Bede House

Bede is a settlement and community centre based in SE16, by Southwark Park. The grant supported the award winning Inside Outside project which delivers free outdoor handyperson tasks and jobs to around 35 local older people, normally within a mile radius of Bede Centre, over the course of a year. Bede's clients with mild to moderate learning disabilities delivered the tasks to help older people to remain safe in their homes and gardens.

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Mayflower TRA

Mayflower TRA represents around 700 social housing residents of all ages from estates in Rotherhithe near Southwark Park. The grant supported a festive party for 80 older residents at Mayflower Community Hall.

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Brandon Estate 3 TRA

Situated in West Walworth, and bordering Camberwell, the Brandon is one of the largest social housing estates in Southwark. The grant supported Brandon Estate 3 TRA to hold a late Summer trip for older estate residents, and a face to face Christmas party, following two years of lockdown.

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Blackfriars Settlement Christmas

The grant supported Blackfriars Settlement to provide an annual Christmas lunch for its Positive Ageing service members, and a special Christmas Day celebration lunch for local older people that would otherwise be alone.

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Southwark Pensioners Centre

Based in Camberwell, Southwark Pensioners Centre supports older people (aged 50 and above) to enjoy healthier, independent and more active lives. The grant enabled the charity to provide 5 day trips in 2022 for over 300 older people and a celebration event for 200 older people in June 2022.

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Art in the Park

Art in the Park delivers outdoor based arts and recreational activities across Southwark. The grant - shared with Rotherhithe Consolidated Charities - supported the charity to deliver gardening and arts workshops for the residents of Rose Court Care Home Rotherhithe who are living with dementia.

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Age UK Lewisham & Southwark

The grant supported the replacement of the Stones End Day Centre's kitchen equipment with new ovens and freezers. The new, more robust equipment enables Age UK to provide healthy meals to around 450 older people using the Day Centre each week.

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Age UK Lewisham & Southwark

The grant contributed to the Warm and Well Scheme to support Southwark's older and vulnerable people during Winter 2021-22 through small grants to those at risk of fuel poverty. Age UK L&S lead the initiative in partnership with the Southwark Older Peoples’ Network, the Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations and the Consortium of Older People's Services in Southwark (COPSINS).

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South London Mission

South London Mission is the community outreach arm of Bermondsey Central Hall Methodist Church and provides initiatives focussed on mitigating the impact of poverty including a foodbank, support to low-income mothers and children, and older people. The grant supported the costs of a seaside trip for older people in August 2022.

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St John's Centre Walworth

St John's Centre, based on Larcom Street in Walworth, operates a Silver Linings lunch club (50 plus) for local older people, which meets every Tuesday in the main hall. The grant sourced new and more comfortable padded chairs and circular tables to improve the experience of older people attending the Centre.

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