🌱 Summer Fit & Fed 2023
Summer Fit & Fed 2023
You guessed it, throughout August we held our summer Fit & Fed programme thanks to the support of Medway Go. This time around we ran for four days, Monday to Thursday, for 4 weeks of the summer break.
Despite the unpredictable weather, we averaged 70 young people each day that were to be immersed in a world of physical and creative activities provided by our regular partners Nucleus Arts, Olympia Boxing, Sport On Your Doorstep, Street Games, etc.
Wild foods expert Miles Irving joined us for a weekly foraging activity and Electric Medway & Mrs Bakers Medway Theatre Company combined forces to deliver a singing and scanning workshop too!
🏊 Water Safety with BSA & Victory Academy
For the past 12 weeks, we've worked with The Black Swimming Association and The Victory Academy to design and deliver a life saving water safety programme. With drowning ranking among the leading causes of accidental death, claiming the lives of approximately 400 people each year, it's crucial to equip young people with life-saving skills and knowledge.
Our programme supported and empowered a group of 17 young people from The Victory Academy who lacked swimming proficiency to become competent swimmers and advocates of water safety. In addition to their weekly pool sessions, the programme provided unique opportunities to explore aquatic-related careers. Through a range of enrichment activities, participants gained invaluable insights into different aspects of the aquatic industry.
The first activity was discovering the world of managing the River Thames at Port Of London Authority and learning about the heroic efforts of the RNLI at their Gravesend Lifeboat Station.
Later in the programme they headed to London to visit Sky Studios for a hands-on broadcast production experience and to produce their own water safety news reel.
At Pentland Brands with Gung Ho they were immersed into aquatics branding and public relations.
The final enrichment activity took place at Chatham Maritime Watersports Centre where attendees learnt the art of kayaking and put their team working skills to the test with a raft build, race activity and recorded a water safety rap.
Throughout the programme, we documented the transformative journey of these young individuals, capturing their growth and achievements. These experiences were compiled into a 10-minute film, which was screened for the first time at a celebration event.
We’re proud to say that this programme, delivered in collaboration with The Black Swimming Association and The Victory Academy, has equipped these young people with life-saving water safety skills, as well as providing exposure to broader aquatic careers.
🎾 The Championships, Wimbledon 2023
On Saturday, July 8th, we had an incredible time at The Championships, Wimbledon, with both new and old participants of our LTA Serves Tennis Programme.
Despite the relentless rain, our spirits remained high as we witnessed the skills of two-time Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova on Court 2 and had the chance to explore the fantastic facilities of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club.
Thanks to the Lawn Tennis Association for giving us this amazing opportunity. Here's some of the fun we got up to!
👏 Thank You Sunday
On Sunday, July 2nd, we hosted our inaugural Thank You Day celebration at Luton Millennium Green. Thank You Day provides an opportunity for individuals to express gratitude for the countless contributions that enrich our communities and foster connections among neighbours throughout the year.
The inspiration for our own Thank You Day originated from conversations at our Thursday Hangout and Friday’s Underneath the Arches singalong. Through these conversations, a collective vision emerged, resulting in a great afternoon that showcased an array of performing arts and music.
The afternoon commenced with an enchanting Documentary Dance Theatre performance titled "The Allotment Project" by Casson & Friends.
Following this mesmerising act, The Plonkers took centre stage, strumming their ukuleles and lending their voices to a medley of songs. The Vision Signing Choir then captivated the audience by signing popular chart-topping tracks, whilst teaching the audience British Sign Language. Finally, the celebration concluded with an improvisational acting session delivered by Medway Play Lab CIC.
Be sure to stay tuned for our plans to commemorate Thank You Day in 2024.
The Kentish Lady Round 2 ⛵
We had an incredible time exploring the River Medway on the Kentish Lady last year that we couldn't resist organising another trip, inviting again the wonderful residents of Pembroke Court (an over 55's/retirement housing development) and members of our patchwork group to join us.
Our adventure began with a coach ride from Chatham in the morning, taking us to a picturesque riverside spot in Maidstone where we boarded the Kentish Lady.
As we set sail, we were treated to hours of breathtaking views along the River Medway. The cherry on top was the scrumptious fish and chips lunch that was the perfect amount of food to satisfy our hunger.
🏀 April Fit & Fed 2023
You guessed it, in April we had our Fit & Fed programme continue thanks to the support of Medway Go.
This time around we ran for four days, Monday to Thursday, for the 1st week of the Easter half term.
Despite the temperamental weather, over 55 young people joined us each day to be immersed in a world of sporting and creative activities provided by Nucleus Arts, Olympia Boxing, Sport On Your Doorstep, Street Games, etc.
Here’s a glimpse of the fun we got up to this time around!
🌳 Luton Road's Greening Continues
Our Big Local Plan over the last number of years has reaffirmed our commitment to improving air quality, biodiversity and sense of place through street tree planting.
You may recall in February 2022 we hit a mile stone of planting Luton Road’s first ever street tree at a very busy and complicated road junction. This February we blew this effort out of the water.
Despite running our busiest ever February Fit & Fed, on the two days that followed we planted a further 7 hardstanding trees running from the The Kabin to Christ Church, Luton.
This effort wouldn't have been possible without the support and generosity of Bell UK, Barcham Trees, Medway Council, Luton Primary School & countless others - teamwork makes the dream work.
Medway Eyes 👀
The eyes have landed in Luton, have you seen them?
Located behind Bowen Moto and towards Short Street Garage.
🎁 Pembroke Court Christmas party
On 6th December we were joined by many residents of Pembroke Court (an over 55+ retirement apartment block within our Big Local area), faces old and new, to host a festive party.
It was a full house for this celebration with food provided by Twice as Nice Catering, entertainment by Jonathan Ash & Mrs Baker and Christmas goodwill being exhibited by all those that attended.
Here's some of the fun we got up to!
🎄 Festive Fit & Fed
You guessed it, in December we had our 2nd festive Fit & Fed thanks to the support of Medway Go and another kind donation of food items from the Morrisons in Walderslade.
Using a similar format to our programme in October, we ran for three days in the lead-up to Christmas, though this time we welcomed back Mike our community chef who each day delivered a hot delicious nutritious lunch. Despite the wet weather and no access to the school field, it was our busiest Christmas period to date with over 50 young people joining us each day to be immersed in a world of sporting and creative activities provided by Nucleus Arts, Olympia Boxing, Sport On Your Doorstep, Street Games, etc.
We were also delighted to be joined by Luton’s very own Santa Claus for the last day to bring some festive joy.
Here’s a glimpse of the fun we got up to this time around!
