We started the month with a session on voting before the local elections. We did some research about the different candidates and talked through what happens at the polling station, so people knew what to expect.
We also learned more about the history of the vote and voting rights, and had our own mock election.
Some members of Westminster Council, who have helped us with some funding for the Hub, came along and took part in our quiz.
We held a session during Mental Health Awareness week on mindfulness and relaxation. There was yoga and even free stress-relief massages from Nicola Martin Hill, a member of the LDN team, who is a trained masseuse.
Eating well and budgeting was our next topic. Mandy Crowford, director of services and Margaret, a person we support, ran this session.
We discussed the meaning of sell-by and best-before dates on food packaging, and Mandy shared a simple mushroom pasta recipe, even bringing in some samples for us to try.
Gail, one of the people who comes to the hub regularly, said she tried making the recipe when she got home and it was a success!
We took a group of people to a local technology fair at the Beethoven Centre. There was lots of specially adapted tech, phone apps, and demonstrations for people with disabilities. We also got given some free baseball caps as a bonus!
We ended the month by talking with a group of people, along with our HR team, about the type of support people expect from our staff.
We asked how our charity can make sure we put our values into practice – picking the best people to work here and providing great training for new team members.
Among the many great ideas, people we support told us how they want people who support them to be kind, respect their independence, show up on time and sometimes have a good sense of humour. Find out what people said in the video below:
Our pilot Community Hub in Westminster is a place where people with mild and moderate learning disabilities can learn essential life skills and build connections in the community. If you know anyone who would like to join us, please get in touch. We’d love it if you visited. Email lswan@ldnlondon.org for more information.
