BE WELL
Connecting our community, one conversation at a time.
Be Well is the community wellbeing project at St William of York. We run free walks, cooking afternoons, talks and monthly drop-ins across Forest Hill and the surrounding area, for anyone who wants to feel more connected.
Be Well is open to everyone. You do not need to be a parishioner, or a churchgoer of any kind, to come along. Our activities have no religious content and nobody is asked about their beliefs. We are here to build relationships, reduce isolation and create a community where people feel comfortable talking, listening and supporting one another.
WHO WE SUPPORT
- People living with long-term illness, physical or psychological, for whom ordinary social life has become hard to reach.
- People who have been bereaved, through our work with St Christopher’s Hospice.
- Older residents living alone, for whom a monthly drop-in may be the week’s main conversation.
- Young people moving from primary to secondary school, through our annual Year 6-7 Transition Day.
- Anyone new to the area, or feeling isolated, whatever their age, background or faith.
OUR IMPACT
In 2025, our first full year, we launched monthly Be Well Drop-ins at Café York supported by newly trained Be Well Champions; held Nature Walks through local green spaces; ran a Year 6-7 Transition Day for young people; hosted St Christopher’s Hospice for a conversation about grief and loss; and ran a hands-on gnocchi making class.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Almost a year ago now, I discovered my local Be Well group, a discovery which has enriched my life beyond recognition.
Long term illness, physical or psychological, can be a very lonely path to walk. It can be a tiring unending battle, sometimes difficult for others to understand or identify with, sometimes too hard for friends and family to witness.
In my local Be Well hub, I have been fortunate enough to find a group of people who have the most extraordinary capacity to walk beside me; to care, to adapt to and accommodate what I find hard, to reassure and to offer support in so many different ways.
They welcome with friendship, healing, give me the strength to try new things and the opportunity to once again reach out and take part in life. I can belong, I can have connections, I have the chance to ‘be well’.
I owe each of them the deepest, most heartfelt gratitude and thanks, because through them, I now have hope, new possibilities, a gentler life, and a place of rest, ‘a safe home’.
A Be Well participant, shared anonymously with permissionWHAT WE RUN
Monthly Drop-in
Last Saturday of the month, 4.30-5.45pm, Café YorkTea, cake and conversation, supported by our trained Be Well Champions. No need to book, just come.
Nature Walks
Three times a year, 2-4pmA short and a longer route through Blythe Hill Fields and Ladywell Fields. Join or leave at any point.
Cooking together
Four afternoons a year, Upper HallChin chin, ravioli, gnocchi and jam. Neighbours teaching neighbours to cook the food they grew up with.
Talks and workshops
Several times a year, Café YorkAnxiety, grief and bereavement, led by NHS and hospice professionals. Afternoon tea afterwards.
Year 6-7 Transition Day
June, Upper HallA day for children moving up to secondary school, and for the families walking that step with them.
Citizens Lewisham
April, Beecroft Garden Primary SchoolWe take part in the borough’s Mayoral Assembly, bringing local people’s concerns to those who decide.
THE 2026 PROGRAMME
Everything below is free and open to all. For anything that needs booking there is a sign-up sheet in the Narthex, or email us.
| Date | Event | Time and place |
|---|---|---|
| Last Sat, monthly | Be Well Drop-in | 4.30-5.45pm, Café York |
| Sat 28 March | Nature Walk | 2-4pm, from the church |
| Mon 27 April | Citizens Lewisham Mayoral Assembly | 6-8pm, Beecroft Garden Primary School |
| Sat 2 May | Chin Chin Making | 1.30-3.30pm, Upper Hall |
| Sat 9 May | Anxiety Workshop | 2-4pm, Café York |
| Nature Walk | 2-4pm, from the church | |
| Sat 20 June | Primary to Secondary Transition Day | 10am-2.30pm, Upper Hall |
| Sat 27 June | Jam Making | 12-3pm, Upper Hall |
| Sat 26 September | Nature Walk | 2-4pm, from the church |
| Sat 3 October | Ravioli Making | 12.30-3.30pm, Upper Hall |
| Sat 14 November | Bereavement Talk | 2-4pm, Upper Hall |
| Sat 5 December | Christmas Event | 12-3pm, Upper Hall |
WHO WE WORK WITH
Be Well is built on partnerships with organisations that bring expertise we do not have ourselves.
- St Christopher’s Hospice: led a conversation on grief and loss, and on the different ways people process it, at Café York in November 2025.
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust: Rukeya Khanam, Principal Counselling Psychologist in the Lewisham directorate, is leading our anxiety and wellbeing workshop.
- Citizens UK / Citizens Lewisham: we take part in the borough Mayoral Assembly alongside other local institutions.
- Beecroft Garden Primary School: hosts the Mayoral Assembly, and our Transition Day supports children making the move to secondary school.
- Honor Oak Women’s Institute: runs a coffee morning in Café York in support of Dementia UK.
GET INVOLVED
Come along
Everything is free. Most things need no booking at all turn up. For the workshops and cooking afternoons, numbers are limited, so sign up on the sheet in the Narthex or email us.
Volunteer
Be Well runs on volunteers. Our Be Well Champions are trained and supported, and give as much or as little time as they can.
Ask us anything
Email swoybewellhub@gmail.com with any questions. We will always reply.
Come together and connect. All are welcome.
