See what we're doing as part of Thrive LDN - a project aimed at improving the health of Londoners, with the intention to take similar projects across the country.
The Mental Health Foundation is touring London boroughs talking about what would support local communities to thrive.
It is part of our work with Thrive LDN, a partnership between local government and health, aiming to improve the health and happiness of people living in the city.
Since Mayor of London Sadiq Khan launched Thrive LDN last July the Foundation has led on organising and delivering community workshops in 16 of the capital’s 32 boroughs.
By the end of the programme we will have had direct conversations with about 1,000 Londoners. We have made a short film about this work you can watch here.
In each workshop we explain what Thrive LDN is hoping to achieve, set out the Foundation evidence for what helps communities thrive and hear what the local challenges and current work includes.
We then conduct table-based workshops where everyone attending gives us their ideas on how to locally deliver Thrive LDN’s six aspirations:
- A city where individuals and communities take the lead.
- A city free from mental health stigma and discrimination.
- A city that maximises the potential of children and young people.
- A city with a happy, healthy and productive workforce.
- A city with services that are there when, and where needed.
- A zero suicide city.
The written feed-back is sent to all the participants with actions for local people and their services.
Over the coming weeks we will be putting together everything we have heard and analysing it for common themes and ideas.
The resulting report, giving a voice to a large and representative group of Londoners, will help inform policy at a local, regional and national level.
Already we are using the feedback to create the Thrive Communities pilot programme of support for three London housing estates in areas of high need. We can use the learning from this programme to make further suggestions on how to better support communities live healthier and happier lives.
Although based in London this learning is relevant to other parts of the country and we are looking to build on it across the UK.