Community meals and shared movement sessions bring Hackney Wick residents together

Two new short films demonstrate how communities are starting to flourish again after the pandemic. Every Friday, St Mary of Eton Church hosts activities to help Hackney Wick residents move and feel better. An hour-long ‘Chair Disco’ helps get people moving, and then participants and local residents refuel with a hot shared meal - all free of charge.

The idea for the Friday sessions came about during the lockdowns, when Wick Award and St Mary of Eton supported elderly residents and those referred by the Test and Trace Team by delivering supplies and hot meals to local residents unable to leave the house.

The Reverend Sue Makin, Vicar of St Mary of Eton, could see that the people she was delivering food to were struggling, and was determined to bring the community together to create a space for people to re-connect. The activities are supported by a team of local volunteers.

“People were desperate to get together and see their neighbours again, and have a bit of banter over some lunch”, said Polly Mann, who works with the Wick Award, the resident-led Big Local organisation with a mission to help good things happen in Hackney Wick.

“We partner with The Felix Project, who collect surplus fresh, nutritious food that can’t be sold. They deliver it to us and then our volunteer chef, Sharon, magics up something delicious from it every week.”

Many people who had been self-isolating during the pandemic found that they lost confidence, mobility and the drive to get going. Because of this, Sue and Polly decided to pair the lunch with a Chair Disco - a vibrant, inclusive exercise class for all bodies and abilities, led by local instructor Anne-Marie Payne.

Anne, 67, is a mobility-impaired Hackney resident who regularly attends the Chair Disco and community lunch. She says:

“As a stroke survivor, and having suffered through the lockdown, and not moved very much - this gets me going! The music's brilliant. The people are so vibrant. The teacher is amazing. You cannot help but want to move around and get things going. It's been so good, and I've met some lovely people.”

The weekly sessions take place at St Mary of Eton, 95 Eastway, Hackney Wick, E9 5JA, starting at 11am Fridays. Information about this and other community meals in the Hackney Wick area can be found at www.wickaward.co.uk/events.

If you would like to volunteer to help out or attend the meal please get in touch with Polly on polly.mann@wickaward.co.uk / 0748 232 0992.

For more info about Chair Disco seated exercise, see www.chairdisco.com or contact Anne-Marie on 07526 562 615.

__________________

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Anne-Marie, Chair Disco instructor:

I love teaching in Hackney Wick, because it's such a vibrant, fun area. We get people from all walks of life. We have people from various groups in Hackney bringing their service users to us. The whole morning is just a celebration, bringing people together.

Polly Mann, Wick Award:

Chair Disco is all about getting people together for a bit of fun. People really enjoy the Friday morning slot - they like to come down and meet other people. And it's a laugh. Anyone can do it!

Ryk, 60, Hackney resident:

It's getting out the house.... it's being sociable.... it's moving around.... it's connecting with people. It wakes me up. It improves my mood. And it's nice just to to move around and listen to music that's got a beat. I really do enjoy it. It's really good fun.

Chloe, 24, youth worker:

Chair Disco brings a sense of community and a sense of enjoyment.

Anne, 67, Hackney resident:

As a stroke survivor, and having suffered through the lockdown, and not moved very much - this gets me going! The music's brilliant. The people are so vibrant. Anne-Marie is amazing. You cannot help but want to move around, and get things going. It's been so good. And I've met some lovely people.

Anne-Marie, Chair Disco instructor:

It's wonderful to see the participants grow in confidence week after week. They start to know some of the tunes and the choreography and really just enjoy moving their bodies and just... having it large.

After a certain age, nightclubs are just not spaces where we want to congregate. But we still never really lose the urge to just... lose ourselves in music. And that's what we're able to do during this class.

We're hoping to get more funding so we can keep these classes going. There's such a great energy here. You know, people are really transforming their bodies, their relationship to movement, and music and each other. It would be wonderful if we could keep it going.

If you, or an organisation you work for, might be interested in funding these sessions to help reduce social isolation and keep Hackney residents physically active, contact Polly Mann at the Wick Award on 0748 232 0992.