About The Village

What we do

We provide wellbeing services so the people of South East London can have strong mental and emotional health and forge social connections. Based in the borough of Lewisham, we started as a hub just for parents and carers but now aim to provide help for the whole community.

We know there are currently many barriers stopping people from getting the wellbeing support they deserve. Money shouldn’t be one of them. This is why in our pricing system we have free and discounted spaces, so everyone can get access.

“I think all local parents should pay a visit to the Village. It's a place of endless support, no judgement and I love how accessible it is to everyone, via the tiered pricing structure. There are lots of groups out there that focus on babies, but the Village is the one place where the focus is on parent wellbeing.”

Veronica

Our mission

To support local people with their mental health and emotional wellbeing, so in turn, they can support each other and the next generation.

Our story

In September 2020 we started offering free Walk & Talks in Ladywell Fields, which are still going strong today. This was in between the various lockdowns of the pandemic, where becoming a parent was an even more isolating experience than normal.

“Then the winter 2020 lockdown came and due to winter, lockdown and some personal issues I found myself feeling quite severely depressed. So when that lockdown was lifted, I made much more of an effort to get out there a bit more… It's really nice to have something so local and meet other new mums in the area. The range of services that are offered let me know that there is accessible support out there if I ever need. Thank you to The Village!”

Reniece

The Corbett Library became our first home in February 2021. We were only able to offer a couple of services to low numbers of people, because of the ongoing Covid restrictions. As each restriction was lifted we could add more to our schedule on a Wednesday.

In April 2021 we had our official launch day, with a fuller schedule, a scavenger hunt, goodie bags and so much love and support from our community.

As time went by and we got to know more of our Villagers, we changed and added to our services in response to their needs. People brought their friends. Parents were returning with second babies.

People who weren’t parents were joining us, particularly at our choir and drumming sessions. We’d always wanted to include the whole community – a village is made of all kinds of people – and now it was happening.

In the summer of 2023 we paused our services for a while, to regroup and plan for the future. Our ambition is to have our own permanent home, with a cafe and services for everyone throughout the week. The Village is currently run on a lot of volunteer hours and goodwill and we want to build a sustainable model that ensures we will be here long-term.

A few of our key services are returning in September 2023, while we work on plans and funding applications that will enable us to offer more, to more people, more of the time. Sign up to be kept up to date with our progress.