Every month, we compile a list of events and training for people working in social prescribing. See below for our February list!
This is part of our monthly social prescribing newsletter. You can get it (and much more) by signing up to the London Social Prescribing Network.
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Events & training
Arts for Dementia
Arts for Dementia is a non-profit arts charity that transforms the lives of people living with dementia and those who care for them, through the joy of the arts. They are running a series of events across London, in-person and online.
Art School with Central Saint Martins is for people living with early-stage dementia and their companions. Events run on Mondays at 2pm to 4pm on 3 March, 10 March, *17 March and 24 March. The event venues are: Central Saint Martins, 1 Granary Square, N1C 4AA and *17th – The St Pancras and Somers Town Living Centre, 2 Ossulston Street, London, NW1 1DF.
This is a 4-week intergenerational programme, taught with a chance to experience contemporary art techniques and practices such as sound, sculpture and visual art forms. To register, please call Christina on 020 3633 9954 or email: christina@artsfordementia.org, spaces tend to fill up quite quickly so please get in touch sooner rather than later.
Art Wednesdays is for people living with dementia and their companions. Each event will run on Wednesdays at 2pm to 3pm online, on Zoom. Art Wednesdays is an opportunity for people with memory challenges and their companions to socialise, engage creatively, learn new art techniques, discover fascinating art and heritage collections and improve their brain health in a friendly online video workshop via Zoom. To register, please email: jasmine-karis@artsfordementia.org.
Art at Kings Gallery is for people living with dementia and their companions. Events will run each Tuesday, between 15 April – 20 May, at 10.30am to 1pm. The event location is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA. To register, please contact the team by calling 020 3633 8209 or email: jasmine-karis@artsfordementia.org.
Thrive London Trauma-Informed Practice training
ThriveLDN has partnered with Nicola Lester Psychological Trauma Consultancy to offer free, pre-recorded trauma-informed practice training to support individuals and organisations. The training includes open access workshops and further materials to support individuals and organisations to achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold standard. Designed for anyone in a role supporting others, whether formal or informal. Thrive London has a range of training and resources on their website here.
Unseen but Essential: The Voluntary Sector Microbiome
Join NAVCA and the University of Exeter at this webinar on Thursday 6th March to discuss what the drive towards integration of health and care means for the smallest organisations in the voluntary sector, and how recognising this diversity is a vital part of systems-thinking in health and care integration. This session will also explore some of the detail behind the figures. The event will start at 11:30am and finish at 1pm.
Thursday 6th March 11.30am to 1pm
Hackney coffee and networking morning
Regular series of coffee mornings bringing together charities and statutory organisations to share insights and explore partnerships that address health inequalities across Hackney.
The next event is on Thursday 6th March. Book here.
Trauma Informed Network Meeting London
This trauma-informed network event by One Small Thing provides an opportunity to meet and reflect on trauma-informed work and share insights and ideas. Speaker: Dr Sophie Mulvana, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead for Health and Wellbeing, Clare Lodge Secure Children’s Home.
Accessible Central London venue – details provided upon booking. Register and book here.
Thursday 6th March 1.30pm to 4.30pm
Reach Out Camden Wellbeing Alliance
Reach Out Camden Wellbeing Alliance are running an Introduction to Mental Health and Wellbeing event at the Crowndale Centre, 218 Eversholt Street, London NW1 1BD on Wednesday 19 March, 9:30am – 11am. Open to VAC Members only. If you are a voluntary service or group delivering services in Camden and are not a member of VAC, please join here. For more details of VAC events please visit the website here.
Black Health Inequalities Summit 2025
The London Inspire Programme in collaboration with the Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN) are hosting the 2nd annual Black Health Inequalities Summit on Wednesday 26 March, London. Entry is free, but places are limited. Register here.
Time: 9:30am-4:30pm
Venue: Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London, SW1P 3EE
Opportunities are available to showcase your work, research and programmes focused on tackling health inequalities and improving the health and wellbeing among the Black community.
The deadline for poster submissions is Sunday 2nd March 2025. Eligibility criteria and guidance are available on the same page.
The deadline for promotion of services and work is Sunday 9th March 2025. Expression of interest is open for organisations wishing to showcase their work and services. Click here to register a stall.
Wednesday 26 March 9:30am-4:30pm (in-person event), London
Health Hour Sessions for people of Black Caribbean and African heritage
This Health Hour gives you direct access to the expertise of a Black doctor, who presents on a health issue particularly pertinent to people of Black Caribbean and African heritage. Streamed live on Zoom, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Held online every Saturday morning between 11am-12 noon. Join the Zoom Meeting here. Meeting ID: 845 1675 6373
If you missed any of the previous sessions you can watch on YouTube here.
Happier Outdoors Festival
The second festival will take place from 7-16 April 2025. Once again, Natural England will be giving people across Greater London the chance to discover London’s wild spaces and experience nature’s life-changing power, all for free!
All nature, health and community organisations working in Greater London are welcome to join the London Happier Outdoors Network and host events as part of the Happier Outdoors Festival. Click here to find out more!
Kings Fund
The King’s Fund have launched a new learning community – ShiftWorks – offering seven CPD-accredited courses, bite size learning and online events for those working with the health and care system.
Suicide prevention
If you work for a local authority, NHS trust or voluntary sector in North East London, you can sign up for free suicide prevention training.
Autism and Suicide Awareness Training
Zero Suicide Alliance has released a new Autism and Suicide Awareness Training course—it is free, available online, and only takes an hour to complete.
The training was co-produced with autistic people and highlights the unique challenges autistic individuals may face and how these can contribute to suicidal thoughts.
Peer support
This workshop is designed to support voluntary and health organisations to consider, plan and troubleshoot the introduction of peer support programmes into their services.
Thursday 6th March
Health inequalities engagement
A framework is being developed for Integrated Care Boards to use when carrying out their engagement with people and communities and tackling health inequalities. The framework will ensure a diverse range of communities are consulted and participate with health inequalities initiatives. This work is being led by National Voices and funded by the Care Quality Commission. Sign up to the launch event.
Meeting legislative requirements for good commissioning practice with user led organisations
Audience – People working at all levels in commissioning
Date: Thursday 6th of March 2025 11.00 – 12.30
About: In this webinar we will be looking at how user led organisations can support commissioners to evidence and meet legislative requirements across health and social care. The commissioners and user led organisations speaking at this event will highlight the different legislative requirements of commissioning and provide examples of where commissioners have built effective relationships with user led organisations to evidence good practice.
Creating effective relationships between commissioners and user led organisations
Audience – People working at all levels in a user led organisation, and people working at all levels in commissioning
Date: Thursday 13th of March 2025 11.00 – 12.30
About: This event is an opportunity for user led organisations and commissioners across the country to connect with each other in their local areas. In this webinar you’ll hear ‘top tips’ from commissioners and user led organisation on how to start connecting with each other and how to build established effective relationships.
Introducing Black leadership and Advancing Black leadership courses by the Open University
The Open University are offering two free courses, Introducing Black leadership and Advancing Black leadership. Find out more here.
Free Good Conversations training
Good Conversations is a two and a half hour free session by Linking Lives, for anyone volunteering to host welcoming spaces for the public. This might include café drop-ins, foodbanks, Warm Welcome spaces, lunch clubs, Places of Welcome, Community Libraries, Men’s Sheds or any other community initiatives. you can book your place here.
New Local
Stronger Things Conference returns on 3 June. A festival of community power and reimagining the future of public services.
