Five Ways to Wellbeing
Five Ways to Wellbeing 2025
The Five Ways to Wellbeing are five simple steps you can take to feel better. You may already do some of these things, but by finding time in your day for all five, the benefits are much increased.
For five weeks from 3 November, we’ll be focusing on one of the five ways per week, and letting you know about local services and opportunities that will help you to connect with the week’s theme.
Read on for more information about each week.
Connect: 3 to 9 November
Good relationships with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours are important for mental wellbeing. Building stronger, broader social connections can increase happiness.
Spotlight on:
Hounslow Wellbeing Network
The Hounslow Wellbeing Network is a vibrant community dedicated to enhancing mental and physical wellbeing for all. They offer a great range of free activities including coffee and chats, singing, dancing, exercise classes, art sessions, knit and mingle, quizzes and much more.
Local services to help you Connect
Shewise is a voluntary sector organisation working to support the educational, economic, social development and mental wellness of all women, particularly of South Asian and Middle Eastern women and girls.
They have recently set up weekly Women’s Resource Hubs at four locations across the borough (Beavers Library, Holy Trinity Church, Convent Way Community Centre and Feltham Library).
BEfriend is a registered charity providing one-to-one volunteer befriending for people who are socially isolated and lonely. A trained volunteer makes a weekly 1-2 hour visit to the client's home, where they might stay in and chat over a cup of tea or, go out for a walk together, visit a café or undertake a local activity.
Their core Befriending Project supports people who are isolated and sometimes housebound. They may have a physical or sensory disability, or mild dementia. Their Linked Minds Befriending Project supports people who are isolated because of a diagnosed mental health problem.
This mental health network for men is currently offering an online support group on Monday evenings (6pm-7.30pm) and an online coffee and chat on Thursday afternoons (2pm-3.30pm). However, the group will soon be moving to a new base in Feltham.
Positive Change run a befriending service designed to provide companionship and support to individuals who may be experiencing loneliness and social isolation. They carefully match their volunteers with people based on shared interests and location. Visits usually take place once a week for up to two hours, providing an opportunity to build a meaningful connection. This could involve having a chat over a cup of tea, going for a walk, playing a game, or simply spending quality time together.
Men’s Sheds are kitted out community spaces where men can enjoy practical hobbies. They’re about making friends, learning and sharing skills. Many guys come just for the tea and banter – everyone’s welcome.
Based in the main Chapel building at Isleworth Cemetery, Park Road, Isleworth, TW7 6AX. Sessions are Monday to Friday 9.30am-4.30pm (last entry at 2.30pm).
At the Baby Cafe you will receive support, encouragement and reliable information - whether getting ready to breastfeed, establishing breastfeeding, continuing breastfeeding, expressing, mixed feeding, formula feeding, introducing solids, stopping breastfeeding and beyond. Weekly Baby Cafes take place in four venues around the borough (Alf King Family Hub, Lampton Family Hub, South Isleworth Children’s Centre and Chiswick Children’s Centre). Drop by for a cuppa and to meet other local parents.
Twickenham, Hounslow and district | Local activities & meet-ups | NCT
Hounslow Seniors Trust enable social connections between older people through inspirational arts, cultural projects, events, activities and an annual festival. Over the years they have participated in many art-forms including film, photography, dance, drama, visual arts, music and singing.
Hounslow Seniors Trust | Arts, Cultural Activities & Annual Festival for Older People in West London
The Friendship Club supports older people in Chiswick, Brentford and nearby areas. It’s open from 10am-4pm on Monday and Thursday and offers a range of activities including exercise sessions, arts and crafts and bingo.
Age UK run a wide range of social, physical and educational activities for older people from the Southville Community Centre in Feltham.
Hounslow Connect is an online information and guidance hub that aims to connect residents to local services, organisations and events.
Hounslow Data Hub’s map of Voluntary and Community Organisations
The Data Hub has a dashboard listing VCSE (voluntary, community and social enterprise) organisations in the borough. There are maps for each area of the borough showing where organisations are based.
CarePlace is a great source of online information and guidance about care and community services.
Wellbeing West London is an online directory of support services across Hounslow, Ealing and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Keep Learning: 10 to 16 November
Whatever your age, you can learn something new! Learning new skills can boost self-esteem, help build a sense of purpose, and help us connect with others.
Spotlight on:
The Wellbeing and Recovery College
The West London Wellbeing & Recovery College is open to everyone aged 18 and over who live, work or study in Hounslow. Their courses and workshops are free and focus on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and recovery. They believe hope, empowerment, possibility and aspiration are central to good mental health and wellbeing.
Local services to help you Learn
Hounslow Adult and Community Education (HACE) provides adult education courses through Learn Hounslow. Whether you are looking to learn new skills to find a job, learn how you can support your children at school, maintain your health and wellbeing, or develop a hobby, they have a course for you! Courses run from Meadowbank Adult and Community Education Centre in Cranford and are free for those on low incomes.
Hounslow Adult and Community Education - Adult Courses (hace.ac.uk)
Hounslow Council offers free group adult cycle training sessions for those who live, study or work in Hounslow and want to build their confidence. Bicycles and helmets are provided free of charge. Qualified instructors will show you how to cycle in a park and on quiet roads. There are separate sessions for beginners and improvers. No need to book, first come first served basis. Our instructors will register you on arrival. Weekly sessions take place in: Heston Park, Feltham Park, Boston Manor Park, Osterley Park, Lampton Park and Hanworth Park.
If you are struggling to use your tech or need help setting up emails, using social media or surfing the web, pop down to a digital drop-in session at Hounslow Library, Job Centre Plus, Hounslow or Feltham Library. Our Digital Champions will be happy to help you out.
Let’s Go Outside and Learn CIC connects communities in Hounslow and Richmond with the nature on their doorstep. They introduce people to natural environments and help them to enjoy the benefits of spending time outdoors. They run a range of activities including weekly walks (on Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons) exploring the beautiful parks of Hounslow.
Chiswick Repair Café is a monthly community café where volunteers help owners to make small repairs to their broken or worn items. Owners pay for any new parts and make a small contribution to keep the repair café running.
The next event is on Saturday, 15 November, 10.30am-1pm (last entry 12.30pm) at Christ Church Turnham Green, Town Hall Avenue, London, W4 5DT.
Hounslow Repair Cafe is a monthly community café where small electrical items, clothes, bikes and devices can be repaired. Please book a slot here and bring one item down.
The next event is on Sunday, 16 November, 1.30pm-4.30pm at St Leonard's Church, Heston Road, Heston TW5 0RD.
U3A are a local organisation for retired or semi-retired people who want to meet for learning and leisure activities. They pride themselves on being friendly and welcoming. Members can take part in a wide range of activities including learning languages, a book group, exploring family history, mosaic making, playing Mah Jong and Bridge, walks and theatre visits.
Be Active: 17 to 23 November
Being active is great for your physical health, but it can also improve your mental wellbeing. Think about physical activities you enjoy and try to fit more of them into your daily life.
Free offer for residents
Lampton Leisure who run six sports and leisure centres across the borough is offering a FREE three-day guest pass to residents aged 18 years and over! It’s a great opportunity to sample what their centres have to offer.
The offer can only be used during the week of the 17 to 23 November. Just go to one of their six centres and mention Five Ways to Wellbeing to receive your free pass.
- Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre
- Hanworth Air Park Leisure Centre
- Heston Pools and Fitness
- Isleworth Leisure Centre
- New Chiswick Pool
- Osterley Sports and Athletics Centre
Local Services to help you Be Active
Hounslow residents can download the BetterPoints app and earn rewards just by being active! BetterPoints can be spent at participating local businesses, redeemed for high street vouchers, or be donated to charity.
If you’re over 65, taking part in physical activity will help to increase your bone strength, reducing the risk of fractures associated with a fall. Exercise also helps to prevent a decline in strength/balance and co-ordination. The Stay Steady and Active programme has a range of free exercise classes for older people as well as advice on preventing falls and services that can help.
Working in partnership with Brentford FC, the Trust delivers a range of programmes in education, employability, sports participation, health and community engagement. It also offers free sports and exercise sessions for people seeking support with their mental health. Their Bee Active Football sessions run on Mondays from 7pm-8pm at Heston Pools and Fitness.
Contact: health@brentfordfccst.com
The aim of these free weekly sessions is to make cycling accessible to people with disabilities. You can try a wide range of adapted cycles including recumbent bikes, handcycles, trikes and side by side bikes to suit all ages. The sessions take place on Saturdays from 9.30am -3.30pm at Inwood Park Cycle Hub, TW3 1XG. Please book at: https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/transport-traffic/free-cycle-training or call 0845 6520421.
London Borough of Hounslow Swimming Club is a vibrant, inclusive competitive swimming club with deep-rooted connections within the borough. They strive to provide a range of free and affordable swimming, water safety and activities for Hounslow communities. The free community projects they are currently delivering are: Multivity a multi activity youth project for 8-18yrs (8-25yrs SEND)
at Hanworth Air Park Leisure Centre on Saturdays. Dive into the Community - inclusive swimming/water safety for 5-18yr olds at Hanworth Air Park Leisure Centre and elderly swimming for fitness & wellbeing at Heston Pools and Fitness.
This is a friendly women’s cycling group that meets weekly on Sunday mornings at Osterley Park and fortnightly on Wednesday mornings at Hanworth Air Park Leisure Centre. Both rides meet at 9.45am for a 10am start and generally return by 12.30pm with a café stop in between. Booking is essential. Email: hounslow@cyclesisters.org.uk Cycle Sisters | Hounslow
The Positive Movement Project aims to improve mental health and combat social isolation through fitness, sport, movement and play. They offer a range of accessible events and activities that are centred around moving to feel good including exercise sessions, wellbeing walks and allotment sessions.
https://thepositivemovementproject.org/
Parkrun is a free, community event where you can walk, jog or run 5k. Parkrun takes place every Saturday morning at 9am at Bedfont Lakes Country Park, Hanworth Park, Crane Park, Gunnersbury Park and Osterley Park.
Junior Parkrun is 2k and is for 4 to14-year-olds and their families. It takes place every Sunday morning at 9am at Hanworth Park and Osterley Park.
Starting something new like running can feel overwhelming, but that is completely normal. The free NHS Couch to 5K programme makes it easier by guiding you from the couch to running 5K in 9 weeks. Just take it one step at a time.
Take Notice: 24 to 30 November
Slowing down and taking notice of the world around you can bring about reductions in stress and improvements in mood.
Sometimes this is called ‘mindfulness’ and it is all about becoming aware of the sights, sounds, smells and tastes that you are experiencing.
Get involved
This week we’ll be hosting a photography competition! When you enter, you’ll be in with a chance of winning Amazon vouchers. We will be giving £50 vouchers to the top three entries and £25 vouchers to the four runners up.
Getting out and about to look for things to photograph in Hounslow is a great way to see the borough. You could photograph one of our wonderful green spaces, vibrant town centres, or anything in between.
To enter, just email your photograph, along with your full name and a few words about why you’ve chosen this particular subject, to communications@hounslow.gov.uk by the end of Sunday, 30 November. Please use the subject “Five ways photo competition”.
Cllr Lily Bath will pick her seven favourites and then we’ll put it to a public vote to choose the winners of the three £50 Amazon vouchers. We will also post the winners across our social media channels and display the photos on the ground floor of Hounslow House.
Local services to help you Take Notice
If you want to lose weight, become more active or give up smoking Healthy Hounslow can help. It offers a variety of free services for Hounslow residents including online or face to face weight management courses for adults and families, exercise on referral, health checks and health coaching.
Hounslow’s Health Outreach Team (HOT) is a community service that provides residents with information on local health and wellbeing support services.
The team offers blood pressure checks, Body Mass Index (BMI) checks and advice on health concerns, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stop smoking services, mental health service plus much more.
Residents can visit the team at their shop in the Treaty Centre: Unit 18, High Street, Hounslow, TW3 1ES. Open: Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm.
The Health Outreach Team visits different locations around the borough each week. For details see: HOT locations around the borough
Hounslow Talking Therapies provide psychological therapies for people over 18 years who have a GP or live in the London Borough of Hounslow. They help with common problems like stress, anxiety, and depression. This service is provided free of charge by the NHS. Call: 0300 123 0739.
Email: wlm-tr.talkingtherapies.hounslow@nhs.net Hounslow talking therapies
Good Thinking
Good Thinking (good-thinking.uk) has a wide range of resources to promote mental health, including information on low mood, anxiety, stress and sleep. It also has a Mindfulness Worksheet and two free NHS-approved programmes on mindfulness and meditation:
-
Mindfulness information and worksheet. This approach involves learning how to use mindfulness to let go of worrisome or negative thinking. The purpose of the worksheet is to record how you use mindfulness when distressing thoughts occur.
-
Be Mindful is an online course for learning and practicing mindfulness: https://www.good-thinking.uk/resources/be-mindful
-
Meditainment is a guided meditation programme: https://www.good-thinking.uk/resources/meditainment
This free meditation app helps with sleep, anxiety and stress.
Give: 1 to 7 December
Most people would agree that giving to others can improve your wellbeing. Small acts of kindness, or volunteering in your local community, can give you a sense of purpose and make you feel happier and more satisfied.
Get involved
Local charity Inspired by Hope is working with Holy Trinity Church in Hounslow town centre to set up a new foodbank at the church. If you would like to donate food, money or your time, please contact:
http://www.inspiredbyhope.co.uk
Local services to help you Give
Ealing and Hounslow CVS provide a huge range of volunteering roles to suit all levels of experience whether you want to give a couple of hours a week or want to use volunteering as a way into work. Volunteering opportunities can be found here: https://volunteer.ehcvs.org.uk/
Would you like to spend an hour or two a week helping people in your local community lead healthier and happier lives? Then the Community Connectors Programme could be for you! Community Connectors promote health messages in their communities. It’s an opportunity to develop your knowledge about local health services and events and share information with other residents. You can sign up here: https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/health-wellbeing/community-connectors
The Council and the Lampton Services Countryside team run a range of volunteering sessions. They also work with volunteers to manage habitats across Hounslow. Activities you can get involved in include litter picking, tree planting, weeding, bramble bashing, habitat surveying and more. For more information see: Volunteering in Hounslow Parks | Let's Talk Hounslow
Would you like to support new mothers in Hounslow to breastfeed their babies? The NCT are looking for mothers who have breastfed for at least 3 months to offer skilled, volunteer parent to parent breastfeeding support across the borough. You will provide peer support at local support groups - offering a listening ear and giving information on a range of topics. Register here or email: volunteering@nct.org.uk
Twickenham, Hounslow and district | Local activities & meet-ups | NCT
The London Borough of Hounslow is looking for volunteers who want to support others to develop their digital skills. After training, you will provide basic digital skills sessions to residents who need help at Digital Drop–Ins around the borough. You could help someone to set up emails, guide them through using social media, or support them to use job search engines etc.
BEfriend is a charity who are looking for volunteers to provide one-to-one volunteer befriending for people who are socially isolated and lonely. Once trained you’ll makes weekly 1-2 hour visits to your client's home, where you might stay in and chat over a cup of tea, go out for a walk together, visit a café or undertake a local activity.
They need volunteers for their core befriending project and their Linked Minds befriending project which supports people who are isolated because of a diagnosed mental health problem.
