Celebrating Fulham’s local heroes
Contact us if you know anyone who needs a shout out here urbanvillageldn@gmail.com
Rude Health Cafe
Shout out to the Rude Health Cafe, New Kings Road, who’ve been cooking meals daily in support of Age UK Hammersmith & Fulham and to their team of volunteers helping with deliveries Monday - Friday. Age H&F UK told us “while lockdown 2 has brought hardship and uncertainty to isolated older people in Hammersmith and Fulham, the cafe has pulled together to help ease their anxiety with a delicious and nutritious hot lunch delivery. Many older people are unable to access delivery slots or join the long queues at supermarkets. We are so grateful for this help for those who really need it”. If you’d like to volunteer and help support Rude Health with deliveries, get in touch and send them a DM on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/rudehealthcafe/?hl=en
Liz Wilson/Ma Baker Bakes
Congratulations to Liz Wilson who recently won the London Word Bread Hero Award 2020. We interviewed Liz Wilson in our September issue about how she adapted and the bread help she provided during lockdown. We think it’s a great read; hit the link below to take a look.
Joyce Aspland
We wrote about Joyce, a Fulham resident who has been involved with the Fulham Good Neighbour Service, in our July issue. LINK Joyce has been involved with this organisation since the early 1970s when she started as an office volunteer. Joyce became a senior member of staff until her retirement, has become a beneficiary herself attending pre lock down pub lunch clubs, taking part in FGNS exercise sessions via Zoom and is still volunteering at the age of 92 by being in regular phone contact with a vulnerable person still sheltering in the community. Joyce also takes a mean selfie as you can see! info@fulhamgoodneighbours.org or get in touch on 020 7385 885 https://www.fulhamgoodneighbours.org/
Kimberley Collins
Kimberley moved to Hammersmith & Fulham in 2016 when she was at risk of becoming homeless. Through the pandemic she has been volunteering with Your Cake, an initiative bringing sweet treats to care homes and key workers across London. “I’ve been passionate about baking since I got my first job as a patisserie chef at the Savoy Hotel when I was 18. Growing up in foster care in Essex, baking gave me the opportunity to get away and build a brand new life for myself in London. It gave me the independence I had been craving” Kimberly launched her own Facebook page to collect basic necessities for those in need, such as toothbrushes, deodorant and other essential products but wanted to do more and her experience was put to good use. “I decided to start volunteering for Your Cakes, which is an initiative set up to deliver cakes and other sweet treats to key workers and care homes across London”. Your Cakes UK was launched by Maud Feldmann and now has seven branches across London. There are two based in Hammersmith and Fulham including Kimberley’s initiative and Maud’s team, which covers Fulham and Chelsea. They will be looking for new ways to sustain the initiative after the pandemic. If you’d like to volunteer as a baker or offer your support, check out their Facebook and Instagram pages https://www.facebook.com/yourcakesuk/
Monique Amy Newton
Who heads up The Smile Brigade and is working all hours to continue the vital work of this community organisation by coordinating the delivery of care packages and meals to elderly and unwell members of the Hammersmith & Fulham community. See our feature article about the work of The Smile Brigade in our “How you can help” section.
Nominated by Melinda S
Rowena Vaughan
Rowena Vaughan
For continuing to keep the Friends of Bishops Park website and other social media up to date and starting a local newsletter for her immediate neighbourhood to provide up to date very local information for those in lock down and isolated keeping them amused and informed in equal measure. Coordinated shopping deliveries for her road and prescription pick ups. Helped out isolated and ill people providing food and willingness to do anything. Advertising initiatives such as the NHS clap and sundowners at 6 pm for those happy to shout hello of an evening!
Nominated by Melanie H
Chris Evans-Gordon
Head Chef at the Little Blue Door and the founder of the Family Meal movement. Volunteers are cooking meals in the Little Blue Door kitchens to support those in need with hot meals across London. Each meal is cooked thanks to donations and distributed thanks to the Felix Project and Food 4 Heroes
Allison Rodger
Although her boutique is closed and her workroom is no longer busy creating bridal dresses Allison has been sending work out to her machinists. They’ve been making scrubs through #scrubhub with 20 sets destined for Kings and Balham hospitals and are making masks which have been selling as fast as they can make them. Allison told us “My friend Emilio, a DR in New York, sent me information and details issued to medics there on 1st April, for wearing and how to make reusable, washable cotton face masks. I perfected the pattern, and after testing we started making the masks in vintage Liberty Tana lawn prints and leftover cotton shirting”. When we spoke to Allison she was finishing a mask for Captain (now Colonel) Tom Moore in patriotic red, white, blue colours because he is after all, in Allison’s words a “true patriot and an inspiration”.
Contact: info@allisonrodger.co.uk to purchase/order masks which cost £15 each
Ashton, Dave and Nick at Evolve 353
Judith local resident and Urban Village LDN subscriber got in touch to tell us about Evolve 353 “Its not a gym in the usual sense, it is a close-knit community (you don't go in and use equipment or train on your own, it is all class based). What is more, they have a model that allows people to train together seamlessly whatever their age or level of fitness. It just works. You get the young and the super-fit rubbing shoulders with and encouraging the old timers like me. Ashton, Dave and Nick are extraordinary - managing to inject fun, laughter, camaraderie, support into professional and personalised fitness training of the highest calibre and top nutrition advice and guidance. It is, literally, life-changing. Whatever is going on in your life, whatever the weather, however bad the hangover... you come out of there smiling and feeling you are ready to face the world with optimism.
They have managed, in these trying times, to keep us all going with innovation and drive. Along with classes and personal training sessions over zoom which work brilliantly, they have added all sorts of things, including an extra yoga class (with an outside specialist teacher), social events (Thursday night quiz/wine-tasting etc) talks and chats, nutrition advice; they are keeping us active, motivated, and laughing and smiling! Nominated by Judith N