Earlier this summer 15 year old David Oladapo undertook a week’s work experience at Health For All’s Beeston Village Community Centre (BVCC).
He worked across a range of services and community groups and at the end of the placement centre manager Balwinder Kaur asked him to write asked him to write a short piece about the charity and the services that Health for All offers. However, he came back and said,
“I know you told me to write about what the charity is about, but I thought I should write about what I have seen.”
This is what he wrote:
When you first walk into Health For All, you don’t get that clinical, stuffy charity vibe at all. Instead, it feels like walking into a busy, warm living room where everyone is welcome. The walls are covered in colorful posters for youth groups, cultural lunch clubs, and support sessions, and you can immediately tell this place is the heart of the community. It’s a space where the fight against local poverty, isolation, and health inequalities isn’t just talk – it’s something you can actually feel happening around you.
Projects in Action
The Lychee Red Group
This group brings together Chinese seniors in the community who gather to participate in healthy slow movement exercises to keep their muscles active. The sessions feature authentic, traditional Chinese recipes to make members feel truly at home all completely free of charge. The group coordinators conduct personal verbal checks on individual members, inquiring about their overall well-being and daily lives. Within this space, members share an incredible sense of belonging, practicing the fundamental aspects of a supportive family.
Next Stop Cafe
Another vital initiative supporting people who have relocated to the community from Hong Kong. Sharing similar warm qualities with the Lychee Red group, their sessions feature an exercise plan tailored specifically to maintaining shoulder joint mobility. The group’s clear purpose is to make its members feel at home and surround them with people in the community they can easily relate to. Crucially, they also provide pathways to job opportunities so that members can build a stable livelihood functioning as a true family indeed.
Enhanced Visiting
This is an activity I found deeply fascinating, focusing on conducting personal outreach visits to locals who are facing various hardships. Their aim is to extend a helping hand to parts of the community that often go unseen. My visit involved Marjorie, a 79-year-old senior resident struggling with dementia and physical mobility. Marjorie had reached out requesting help to tidy her garden, which she can no longer manage herself. The visit featured a thorough check on her well-being, health conditions, and healthcare access, which is then relayed to appropriate authorities to ensure she gets professional outreach. Concurrently, the project is actively working to arrange a cheap, affordable gardener for her.
Broader Community Impact
Furthermore, the organisation features essential projects like the Food Pantry, where less privileged community members can visit on Thursdays, pay a nominal fee of £5, and select multiple items organised across distinct color-coded groups. This innovative approach allows families to secure significantly more groceries for very little cost.
They also host dedicated support networks such as the Afghan Women’s Group, which acts as a vital backbone and family figure for women who have been displaced by war or forced to relocate due to conflict. These ongoing acts of profound social responsibility make the neighbourhood a demonstrably better place, driven entirely by the dedicated efforts of an organisation truly living out its mission.”
Balwinder commented:
“His words show the kindness, care, and community spirit that make Health For All so special. They are a wonderful reminder of the difference our staff, volunteers, and trustees make every day.”
“A big thank you to every staff member who supported and interacted with David during his placement and helped make it such a positive experience.”
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