This summer saw the return of our “Community Fun Days”, in all of the four boroughs we work in. These events are for the children on the West London Zone programme, their families, as well as Delivery Partners, teachers, local community stakeholders , Link Workers, and the wider WLZ team, and are full of fun, food, and activities. What with the pandemic and national lockdowns, we've had two whole years away from these events – always a highlight on our calendars – so we were excited to once again host and bring everyone together. 

We welcomed families from different schools to meet each other for the first time, while Link Workers spent time engaging and catching up with children and young people away from the school environment. It was a whole team effort to support the events and make sure everything ran smoothly; from serving food, running activities, coordinating football tournaments and lego building, and even displaying some impressive balloon modelling skills, there was definitely something for everyone. It was also so great to see our local Delivery Partners connecting and making plans for future collaborations; these partners provide specialist support sessions to our young people on the programme, such as Queen’s Park Ranger’s F.C., Tie Dye Drama, Inspireworks, Hammersmith Community Gardens, and Kite Studios. They all brought their skills and community spirit along so we knew we could count on them to make the days extra special.

In true British summertime style, we had every type of weather possible – blazing sunshine, light showers, downpours of rain and even hail! But that didn’t dampen anyone’s mood or the sense of people coming together. At times, people huddled underneath umbrellas, sheltering from the rain to bang on drums, have fun with clay modelling, or creating jewellery such as name bracelets. At other times we had people basking in the sun, playing hours of football and giant Jenga, or simply sitting and eating tasty food. We were humbled by just how many families came and wanted to stay despite the changing weather – a true testament to the relationships they have with their Link Workers and the importance of reconnecting as a community.

Despite the ever-changing weather, we had four great local community spaces that accommodated us, spread across the four boroughs: The Lancaster Youth Hub in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Phoenix Farm in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Ark King Solomon in Westminster, and The Jason Roberts Foundation in Brent. In addition, we collaborated with Delina, Lil Watan, and the Nourish Hub, to provide food for all who attended, which was more than welcomed after an afternoon of all that fun.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended: young people and their parents, our partners and local stakeholders, the venue staff and the WLZ team. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone again at next year’s event……whatever the weather!

James Dunbar, Partnerships Manager