Battersea Befriending Network

Know who to turn to in SW London:

swlstg.nhs.uk/know-who-to-...

A new NHS campaign called 'Know who to turn to' is working to support improved access/awareness to a range of mental health support this winter. All details in the link above, incl. new resources for support and signposting for them.

The friendship secret: why socialising could help you live longer Neuroscientist Ben Rein is on a mission to show that being around others not only feels good, but can even improve recovery from strokes, cancer and heart attacks. So why are so many of us isolated an...

Socialising is good for us, and isolation is bad for us, according to new book.
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Wandsworth Civic Award 2025 winners announced  - Wandsworth Borough Council

Congratulations to Sarah Rackham, BBN chair. Due to Sarah''s work for five decades Wandsworth Council has named her a 'community champion'! Sarah is front row, far left in the top pic.

www.wandsworth.gov.uk/news/news-no...

Happy #BritishCurryDay! Where better to celebrate than in Tooting's very own delicious curry houses. Pop in to Royal Mahal, Mirch Masala, Dawat, Spice Village or many other brilliant restaurants to support local businesses and have some great food.

Guarded by Buddha at Battersea Park Peace Pagoda, new volunteers and befriendees met for the first time on Sat at the BBN summer picnic. "Everybody at the picnic were shining stars....a communal ‘glow’ which was almost palpable and shared interest which was so encouraging", said one befriendee.

How do our befriendees feel about life in London and the challenges of going out and mixing with people in the street? What do volunteers and befriendees feel about their relationship?
Discover their individual viewpoints in a new series of interviews coming up originated by As it is Arts for BBN

Battersea Park in London is a notable destination for public art enthusiasts, featuring a rich collection of sculptures that span decades of artistic innovation. The park's commitment to outdoor sculpture began with a series of influential exhibitions and continues today with permanent installations and contemporary art trails.

Battersea Park in London is a notable destination for public art enthusiasts, featuring a rich collection of sculptures that span decades of artistic innovation. #photography #monochrome #blackandwhite #blueskygallery #london #streetphotography #urbanphotography #cityphotography #artgallery

VendSt Events A night at the movies: #BatterseaPark 24/08/2025, Prepare to be swept away by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, as they take you on a journey through the most memorable, thrilling, and poignant silver screen soundtracks of all time. Culminating in a magnificent fireworks…

A night at the movies: #BatterseaPark 24/08/2025, Prepare to be swept away by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, as they take you on a journey through the most memorable, thrilling, and poignant silver screen soundtracks of all time. Culminating in a magnificent fireworks…

Dot plot showing the proportion of households in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households across London boroughs in Q2 2024. Newham has the highest rate, significantly above others. A vertical line marks the Greater London average. Data sourced from MHCLG."

Every London borough we have data for has a higher proportion of households in temporary accommodation than the England average.

And in seven London boroughs, the proportion of residents in TA is *five times higher* than in the rest of England.

Free training for volunteers due to start shortly - do come along! We ask that all potential befrienders attend all three sessions but please do get in touch with any questions. The next dates for these training sessions are:

Friday 28th March (evening only)
Saturday 29th March
Saturday 12th April

Mental health crisis ‘means youth is no longer one of happiest times of life’ UN-commissioned study in UK, US, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand finds satisfaction rises with age

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Batterseafriends are of course friends of Battersea Park and go walking and picnicking there regularly

At Paintings in Hospitals, we install co-curated art exhibitions across the UK. A recent highlight is a 10-piece installation at Lavender Hill Group Practice in Battersea, London, featuring works by renowned artist Brendan Neiland. His collection, inspired by mentors, brings joy to staff & patients.

The workshop, led by artist Emma Douglas, allowed NHNN staff to explore emotions through art. Participants shared how it helped them relax, reflect, and de-stress.

Here's to another 65 years of creativity and healing through art! 🏥🎨

The Rise and Fall of the Crystal Palace: London’s Forgotten Marvel London has no shortage of architectural wonders, but few structures in its history have matched the sheer audacity and spectacle of the original Crystal Palace. A gleaming cathedral of glass and iron, it stood as a monument to Victorian ambition, innovation, and sheer industrial bravado. Though its story ended in tragedy, the Palace left an indelible mark on British history and the world’s imagination.

The Rise and Fall of the Crystal Palace: London’s Forgotten Marvel

London has no shortage of architectural wonders, but few structures in its history have matched the sheer audacity and spectacle of the original Crystal Palace. A gleaming cathedral of glass and iron, it stood as a monument to…

London has seen its fair share of ghostly happenings, but none quite like the Battersea Poltergeist.
#London

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (Happy St David's Day), Tooting!

#Tooting #stdavidsday

Battersea Befriending Network case studies in this report measure the social return on investment (avoidance of monetary expenditure and prevention of healthcare) from the befriending.
www.biglocalsw11.co.uk/wp-content/u...

Chart showing the impact of cost of living pressures on more deprived groups.

The link between poverty & poor health is a well-known issue. Our long read shows that 49% of people in the most deprived areas report that the cost-of-living squeeze is impacting their physical health. Find out more: https://buff.ly/4gC5I5D

Mental health patients with nowhere to go cost NHS £71m in England, report finds Accommodation shortages caused 109,000 days of delayed discharge in 2023-24, says National Housing Federation

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Battersea Befriending Network gathered in record numbers for our 2024 AGM last week! We were joined by the @soundmindslondon choir who treated us to a festive performance. BBN is running another free training course in spring 2025 with seven people already signed up. We'd love to see more of you!

All are warmly welcome!

Home Welcome to Sound Minds The Arts for Mental Health. Peer Support Delivered Creatively. Music Find out about music production, tuition and much more.. Art The art studio is ...

BBN’s AGM and Christmas Social is taking place this Friday (6th December) at All Saints Church, 100 Prince of Wales Drive SW11 4BD. The choir from Sound Minds will sing. Sound Minds helps people with lived experience of mental health problems using music and the arts. soundminds.co.uk

‘Resilience interventions do work’ – why coping strategies should be a staple of education Early instruction that teaches young people how to recognise negative thought patterns and manage their mental health may help to avoid problems in later life

It's great that more people are now educating schoolchildren to recognise mental health problems. This would have helped so many people BBN works with.

www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

Battersea Power Station was looking particularly fine this afternoon. #London

Delivered a short session of my Better Mental Health Training for Councillors to Wandsworth Labour Group away day yesterday- great discussions about improving personal and community wellbeing

A chart showing healthy life expectancy at birth by borough for men and women (2018-2020). Wandsworth has the highest life expectancy at birth for women; Richmond upon Thames for men. Tower Hamlets has the lowest healthy life expectancy for women; Barking and Dagenham for women.

2/ Healthy life expectancy

The number of yrs you can expect to live in good health varies even more

Women in Wandsworth have a healthy life expectancy 12yrs longer than those in Tower Hamlets

Similarly men in Richmond have a healthy life expectancy of 70, 12yrs longer than in Barking & D'ham (58)