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Westminster Family Hubs Newsletter

The Climate Emergency and Me

We know that the environment and the climate emergency are top issues of concern for our children and young people, and rightly so as the effects of climate change will be very much apparent in their lifetimes.

Westminster City Council has launched a Climate Emergency Action Plan, including commitments to create more cycle lanes and electric vehicle charging points; expand food waste collection and taking care of our trees and green spaces.

Children in Key Stage 2 still have time to enter the Classroom Climate Competition, either individually or as a class group. This is a chance to share your ideas about how we can make a real difference to the environment. You can read more details here:

westminster.gov.uk/tackling-climate-change-westminster/classroom-competition

In Family Hubs we would like to build on what we do already to support families to save both money and resources, for example by:

providing support for breastfeeding
sharing information on cloth nappy schemes
supporting families to swap, mend and recycle clothes and toys where safe to do so
encouraging walking and cycling to nursery and school whenever possible
helping families discover low cost local activities for days out
introducing children to lots of fruits and vegetables and learning about growing them

Family Hubs in the news!

We were pleased to hear that Family Hubs were mentioned in a government announcement last week for funding to support more areas to introduce them. We opened our first Westminster Family Hub in 2018 and are encouraged that this way of joining up support for families with children of all ages should become more widespread.

Looking after yourself this winter

It can be easy to forget how much we have all been through over the past 18 months, with the worry of the pandemic on top of everyday pressures. If your mental health could do with some care and attention, all the Family Hubs have links via their partnership teams to services that support parents. You sometimes need to focus on your own well-being in order to be there when children need you.

For example, St Vincent's Family Project is happy to be able to provide support to Westminster adults through their Women's Dramatherapy group (in conjunction with Bessborough Family Hub) and one-to-one creative therapy for parents, thanks to the Westminster Foundation.

For further information and to see if you qualify, please contact: noelle.adames@svfp.org.uk or visit
St Vincent's Family Project: svfp.org.uk

Stay vigilant about Covid!

Whilst we might be fed up of hearing about it, Covid certainly hasn't gone away and indeed cases have been rising. Heading into winter would be the worst time to let our guard down. Please consider vaccination for yourself and children 12 and over if you have not done so already, and take up the booster dose and flu vaccination if offered them.

Westminster's vaccine bus regularly stops at different community locations. Details of its timetable, other places to get vaccinated and information on queries or concerns you may have can be found here:

westminster.gov.uk/vaccine-bus

Family Finances this Winter

It has been a worrying time seeing energy bills increasing and some utility companies going out of business. If you feel as though costs are piling up and you can't see a way through, there is help available to tackle the issue before it gets out of hand.

You can contact Westminster Citizens Advice Bureau on 0808 278 7834 or there are a limited number of face to face appointments which your Family Hub can book for you. The hubs can also link you to a range of advice services around debt and ensuring that you are receiving the income to which you are entitled.
If you are on a low income or anyone in your household has a long term illness or disability then the Green Doctors service can help you save money on energy bills - details of this and other support services are here:
westminster.gov.uk/help-and-support-rising-energy-costs

Don't forget that our two Community Pantry services can help make your money go further -
in north Westminster at Westbourne Baptist Church yourlocalpantry.co.uk/westbournepark/
and in the south at the Abbey Community Centre yourlocalpantry.co.uk/abbeycentre/

Childminding Information Session

Are you thinking of becoming a Childminder?
Want to know more about childminding as a career?
Join our FREE Information session and we
can answer your questions

Next Session: Tuesday 18th January 2022 from 10am-12pm
(Places must be pre booked)
Where: Venue TBC but likely to be: Kensington Town Hall, Horton Street, W8 7NX
To book a place or for further details please contact Glynis Mates
Tel: 07971626075 or Email: gmates@westminster.gov.uk
Website: fisd.westminster.gov.uk/

Are you looking to explore creativity, boost your employability skills and learn more about jobs in the creative industries?

If you are in Year 10 or 11, why not sign up to the City Lions Mentoring Programme!

Based on your interests and future goals, we’ll pair you with an inspirational creative mentor with similar expertise who will work with you over six months to:

Develop your confidence and self-awareness
Build your professional and employability skills
Boost your creative skills and help you understand how creativity can benefit your future
Support you in planning your future and set goals
Gain organisational and communication skills
Build a network of creative experts to help with your future job opportunities

Meetings with your mentor will be part-structured to allow each meeting to be tailored to your needs and goals. You’ll be able to choose what you’d like your mentor to help you with through a series of hands-on creative tasks. Your mentor will be there to really listen and provide a safe space for guidance and support.

Mentoring will start in January 2022 and run until June 2022. You and your mentor will meet twice a month, at a time that suits you both, either in-person or virtually.

I'm in! What next?

Express your interest and apply to take part in the mentoring programme here
Or for more information contact: citylions@westminster.gov.uk

The Westminster Creative Collective is back!
The Creative Collective was launched last year, in response to the events of 2020; can anyone remember a time when life had to change so quickly for so many?

At the council, we wanted to share and celebrate the creativity of Westminster’s brilliant young people and showcase how art, in all its different forms, can help young people to communicate and express their feelings. We received over 250 amazing submissions by young Westminster artists themed around COVID-19, lockdown and the re-emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement that were displayed in our virtual gallery and at exhibitions across Westminster.

We are excited to announce that after the success of last year, the Westminster Creative Collective is open for 2022.
This time, we're looking for artworks of any type (visual, written, photography, moving image, sculpture) that respond to the following themes:

•   Love and Unity
•   Climate Change
•   Your Future

• Equality

The deadline to submit artwork is 7 January 2022.
Winning artworks will be showcased in a variety of exhibitions later in 2022.
Find out more and submit your entry:
citylions.org/students/creative-collective-westminster/

Relaunch of Youth Market 2021!

If you want to find out more about this project and get involved please contact Westminster Youth Council // Shofa Miah: smiah@westminster.gov.uk

When a baby is lost, whether during pregnancy, at birth or in infancy, it is a devastating experience for the parents and the extended family.

Sadly for people that lose prior to 24-weeks gestation, services to commemorate the life that has been lost are seldom held, while for parents who lose later in pregnancy, at birth or in early years, the parents are usually in the depths of grief when a service is held.

The Saying Goodbye services are the first international set of remembrance services, for people who have suffered the loss of a baby at any stage, and whether that be recently or decades ago. They provide a time and place to acknowledge and remember your baby, whilst collectively 'saying goodbye'. The services also welcome anyone grieving the fact that they have been unable to have children.

The services are for people of any faith or no faith, are free to attend, no tickets need to be booked, and people are invited to bring family, friends and children with them. Held at cathedrals and similar venues across the globe, chosen for their beauty and grandeur; a wonderful tribute is created for all lost babies.

28th Nov 2021 | 3.30pm | Methodist Central Hall, Westminster
For up to date service details, please see www.sayinggoodbye.org

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Westminster Family Hubs · 1 Bessborough Street · London, London SW1V 2JD · United Kingdom