The Creighton Centre’s annual Health & Wellbeing Fair proved to be a huge success this month, with almost 200 local residents attending despite torrential rain and hailstorms throughout the day.

Held at The Creighton Centre in Fulham, the free community event brought together 23 local health, wellbeing and community organisations, offering residents access to free advice, information and practical support on staying healthy, active and connected.

Visitors were able to speak directly with a wide range of services covering physical health, mental wellbeing, benefits advice, community support and local resources available across Hammersmith & Fulham.

The event also featured a range of free wellbeing taster sessions, including reflexology hand massage, chair-based yoga and gentle exercise activities. In total, 55 attendances were recorded across the wellbeing activities, while all reflexology sessions were booked to capacity throughout the day.

The day concluded with a healthy and nutritious community lunch followed by a lively sing-song led by one of The Creighton Centre’s wonderful volunteer MCs, helping create a warm and welcoming atmosphere despite the challenging weather outside.

Early feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. Of the 54 visitor feedback surveys completed, 96% of attendees rated the event as either “Excellent” or “Good”, with 70% rating it “Excellent”.

The impact report also showed that 87% of visitors felt better informed about services and support available locally following the event.

Attendees praised both the welcoming atmosphere and the opportunity to discover local services they had not previously known about.

One visitor commented:

“What a welcoming and inclusive place and event to come to. I’ve found out about services I’d never heard of before today and am now going to see my GP about my blood pressure check.”

Another attendee said:

“I feel full of good food, happy feelings and the knowledge that there’s support out there.”

Jess Lawn, The Creighton Centre’s Older People’s Services Manager, said:

“We are absolutely delighted with how successful the Health & Wellbeing Fair was, particularly given the terrible weather conditions on the day. It was fantastic to see so many local residents coming together to access support, information and activities that can genuinely improve health and wellbeing.

“One of the most encouraging things was hearing from people who discovered services and support they simply didn’t know existed before attending. Events like this show just how important community spaces and partnership working are in helping residents stay healthy, connected and supported.”

The Creighton Centre is now gathering further feedback from stallholders and activity providers to help measure the wider impact of the event and inform plans for future community wellbeing initiatives.