Wandsworth Council supports a second cohort of local organisations to offer social prescribing activities as part of its Arts for Health & Wellbeing pilot initiative, bringing the total number of supported projects to be delivered throughout 2023 to nine. Four new local projects will be taking place across Tooting Broadway, Tooting Bec, Furzedown, Wandle, South Balham and Trinity wards.

Action for Autism by MovementWorks is a weekly Dance Movement Therapy session for young people aged 11 – 16 with autism and related differences, taking place at Tooting Leisure Centre throughout 2023. MovementWorks will offer a 12-week programme of well-being focused dance sessions led by experienced professional Autism Movement Therapy Practitioners. The sessions include participating in learning rhythmic and dance movement patterns and sequences and interactive games that encourage creative and social collaboration.

“We are thrilled to be bringing ‘Action for Autism’ to Wandsworth. Creating access to high quality movement education is at the heart of what we do. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to engage in such experiences. This project makes life-changing differences to the physical health and emotional wellbeing of these young people.”

– Ali Golding MSc, PG Cert SEN, BA (Hons) FRSA, Director, MovementWorks

Weekly creative coffee morning for sanctuary seekers will be held at Tara Theatre in partnership with CARAS (Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) throughout 2023, promoting social inclusion through arts engagement activities for anyone who has come to the UK with refugee, humanitarian protected or asylum seeker status.

“Refugees and new-arrival asylum seekers in Wandsworth face high levels of isolation which compounds trauma that individuals bring with them during displacement. Thanks to Wandsworth Council’s support we are now able to add new creative activities to our coffee mornings that will be co-created with our community members. We’re excited to see improvements to health and wellbeing that will result from this exciting new program.” -Jamie Charnock, Head of Adult Inclusion, CARAS

CathARTism will explore health and wellbeing through art in an informal and relaxed atmosphere at Balham and Tooting libraries every week, starting from April 2023 to March 2024. The aim of these sessions is to provide free, accessible support to those who are experiencing feelings associated with stress, anxiety, loneliness and depression through workshops, delivered by qualified facilitators pulling from art therapy techniques, mindfulness and positive psychology.

“GLL has successfully operated libraries on behalf of Wandsworth Council for the past 10 years, supporting local communities with a wealth of free services and activities. As a charitable social enterprise that exists to demonstrably improve health and wellbeing, GLL is delighted to be able to work with creative organisations that also want to see outcomes improved for residents. Library innovations like this are great examples of what’s achievable when we work in close collaboration with Wandsworth Council and when we realise the full potential for public services to expand to meet the needs of the community.” -Diana Edmonds, National Libraries Director GLL.