Last week we had the Healthy Thames Workshop, and it was our last one hosted by our Health Outreach Officer Rahela Begum. The evening included guest speakers sharing on resident voice in the borough, and on how community groups and health services can work together. Residents and health professionals also took part in an activity to create an advocacy plan. The evening ended with conversation and appetizing asian-inspired catering.
Rahela reflects on her year with us:
How long is a year? How do you measure that length of time…by events, your feelings, people lost or new friends made, big moments or all the small mundane things? A lot has happened in the past 2 years which has given us a new understanding of how long a year can be and what can be done in that time, and also, how long a year feels when you can’t do very much!
Let me tell you a little about the year I’ve had. Joining TWCP felt like a bold move, not only because of the big reputation of the small resident driven CDT, but also because I knew I was potentially only joining for a year. It was a scary step for me to take, and I’m no risk taker, I was banking on TWCP that hard. Even in a pandemic, I was making a big, risky move, but I was excited! This felt like a real chance to not only work with the community, and partners in health and statutory services, but even better, to bring them together. We’ve all been speaking different languages, trying to reach the same goal and this was a chance to break down some of those walls.
In a year of working with the incredibly passionate residents of Thames Ward, and the tenacious team at TWCP we achieved HUGE things. I got a glimpse of what the future will look like in this little corner of the borough. I could be sad about leaving a place where I feel like we’ve only just scratched the surface…but then the work doesn’t end because of one person, so I leave happy in the knowledge I’ve been lucky enough to have been part of something really special.