Wandsworth Care Alliance

Transport and Social Isolation in Wandsworth

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Transport plays a crucial role in addressing social isolation in Wandsworth, a borough where many residents, particularly older adults and vulnerable groups, rely on accessible transport to stay connected with the community.

Inadequate transport options can lead to increased loneliness, as individuals struggle to attend social events, medical appointments, or even visit loved ones.

Improving public transport, increasing community transport services, and supporting active travel options like walking and cycling can combat isolation. By investing in transport solutions that prioritise accessibility, we can enhance residents’ quality of life, fostering stronger social connections across Wandsworth.

There are a few initiatives taking place in the community to help resolve the issues of transportation in the local community and help to help community members to feel connected with one another:

  • There’s a free bus service launching in Roehampton to help connect Roehampton to local amenities and transport hubs.
  • EstateArt organise several events to help members feel less isolated and more connected. One event is the walking groups in Roehampton that are held. For more information on this please visit their website here.
  • Healthwatch Wandsworth Assembly – Healthwatch Wandsworth are hosting an event around social isolation and ways to combat this. Join us to share free food, listen to great music and connect with each other. Together we can learn and share ideas on how best to tackle social isolation and find fantastic new events in the community from other organisations attending. Be sure to sign up, you won’t want to miss this!
  • Wandsworth Community Transport provides specialist transport services across the borough of Wandsworth for community groups and individuals with mobility problems.

    For support on transportation in the local area, there’s services below that can help. These services aim to make transportation more accessible and convenient for everyone in the community.
  • Dial-a-Ride: This is a free, door-to-door service provided by Transport for London (TfL) for people with permanent or long-term disabilities. It operates 7 days a week from 07:00 to 23:00.
  • Taxicard: This service offers subsidised taxi and private hire vehicle journeys for people with serious mobility impairments or those who are severely sight impaired.
  • Community Transport Wandsworth: This service provides accessible transport options for individuals and groups who find it difficult to use public transport due to age, disability, or other factors.
  • Freedom Pass: This pass allows free travel on most public transport in London for older and disabled residents.

If you have any more relevant resources to add to this article or would like to learn more contact communications@wandcareall.org.uk

Access to Food in Wandsworth: Challenges and Community Solutions

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The above image is of Deaba from Deaba Catering CIC


Access to Food in Wandsworth: Challenges and Community Solutions

Access to nutritious and affordable food is an important and vital need, yet many residents in Wandsworth face significant barriers in accessing it. With the rising cost of living and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity has become a growing concern.

The cost of housing and other living expenses in the borough has been steadily rising, leaving some families with limited budgets for food. For many, this means choosing between paying for rent, utilities, and other essentials or putting food on the table.

Below we are highlighting the community-driven efforts to address these issues.

Community resources

In response to the growing need, several community organizations in Wandsworth have stepped up to provide support and resources to those struggling with access to food.

Saving money food places 

The Healthier Catering Commitment is a scheme that helps food businesses offer healthier choices to their customers. The scheme recognises businesses in London that demonstrate a commitment to reducing the levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar in the food sold in their premises. Refer to the map to find out where you can find healthier items on the menu before the next time you eat out. 

The list below is some great places you’re able to reduce food waste and find more affordable options to accessing food.

Want to donate food?

If you’re looking for ways to donate and support others who are experiencing hardship, we have a list below you can see.

  • You’re able to donate food items, toiletries, money and your time to Wandsworth Food Bank to support others.
  • Supermarkets – your local supermarket will have a food donation box or a food donation bag that you’re able to buy for someone who needs it.
  • You can make a donation to Wandsworth Food Bus.
  • FoodCycle also take donations from small businesses, supermarkets or anywhere providing fresh produce.

Volunteering Opportunities

If you’re interested in volunteering for organisations in Wandsworth who are helping to support others going through hardship, we’ve highlighted a few organisations who take on volunteers.

  • Food cycle are looking for volunteers and they have a wide range of roles to suit different skill sets. Learn more here. 
  • Family Action. Volunteer and help strengthen families and communities.

By working together, the community can continue to develop innovative solutions to ensure that no one in Wandsworth goes hungry. For current events in the community have a look on our events page.

Do you or someone you know urgently need help? Click here to learn more on how to get help with access to food. 

The availability of Medication to the public: challenges and solutions

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Having access to your medication when you need it, is important and is a fundamental aspect of public health, ensuring the public can manage their health conditions effectively and live healthier lives. Healthwatch Wandsworth have worked with the local NHS to share more information on this topic.

We understand that sometimes when we need medication there are many factors that prevent us from having immediate access to it, such as global shortages, it’s out of stock in certain areas or your local pharmacy doesn’t stock the medication.

Supply chains for medicines are long and complex and shortages can be caused by multiple factors. These include manufacturing or distribution problems and increased demand for medicines. Also, political matters such as Brexit and conflicts in certain countries can have huge impacts. Covid-19 has also had an impact on supply chains too.

The House of Commons Research Briefing on Medicines Shortages discusses in more detail the causes and consequences of shortages and what the government is doing in response.

Community Pharmacy England have produced an information leaflet which answers frequently asked questions and explains why shortages can happen and why some pharmacies may have your medication available over others.

Recommendations for patients

1. Order your medication allowing plenty of time but DO NOT stock up, only order what you need. It’s important that you don’t stock up as other people need access to the medication too and over ordering can make supply problems worse.

2. If your usual pharmacy is out of stock, try a different pharmacy. You may want to consider telephoning ahead to check stock before travelling.

3. If a medicine is out of stock your local pharmacy and GP practice will work together and may suggest an alternative medicine as a temporary option.

Pharmacies are trying hard to source affected medicines so please so bear with them until the national issues have resolved.

World Suicide Prevention Day: accessing support

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Every year on September 10th, World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD), a day dedicated to raising awareness about suicide, promoting mental health, and encouraging action to prevent one of the leading causes of death globally is marked. Suicide takes approximately 700,000 lives annually, with many more individuals attempting suicide. The day, initiated by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), encourages a global conversation around mental health, the importance of early intervention, and the need for supportive communities.

The importance of suicide prevention

Suicide is a major public health challenge, and it affects individuals, families, and communities. While it is preventable, the stigma surrounding mental health issues and suicide creates challenges to seeking help.

Many factors can contribute to someone contemplating suicide, including mental health disorders (like depression or anxiety), financial stress, traumatic life events, relationship breakdowns, bullying, or chronic illness. In each case, the pain and struggles are difficult, but it’s important to recognise that with the right support and recovery plan, healing and managing the factors are possible.

The theme for 2024: “Changing the narrative on suicide”

The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day 2024 is changing the narrative on suicide, the main aim is to start the conversation and raise awareness about the importance of reducing the stigma around suicide. It’s important to encourage open conversation around the topic, along with emphasising the importance of taking steps to support those who are struggling.

Important ways that you could support someone can include:

  • Reaching out to a friend: texting or calling or visiting them often. If you know someone who might be struggling, don’t wait for them to come to you. Offer a non-judgmental ear and remind them that you are there to support them.
  • Creating a safe environment and raising awareness. Use social media to spread the word about World Suicide Prevention Day. Sharing personal stories, expert articles, or infographics on mental health can raise awareness in your circles.
  • Sharing resources. Share information about local helplines, mental health services, and online support communities. Sometimes just knowing where to seek help is a crucial step.
  • Join or create events that focus on mental health and suicide prevention. Many organisations host talks, walks, or webinars to bring people together and encourage community action.

Small steps that can be taken to help prevent suicide from organisations, community groups and friends/families:

  • Open Conversations: Creating a safe space where people feel they can talk about their struggles without judgment. Listening without interruption or offering immediate solutions can be lifesaving.
  • Know the warning signs: Common indicators include withdrawal from friends or family, expressing feelings of hopelessness, drastic mood changes, self-harm, or talking about death.
  • Encourage professional help: Mental health professionals are trained to offer the right support and treatment. If someone is in distress, encourage them to seek therapy or contact a suicide prevention line.
  • Build strong support networks: Family, friends, and community play a huge role in supporting people who are struggling. Offering emotional and social support can help people cope with their challenges.
  • Education and awareness: Increasing public awareness of mental health issues and suicide is vital. Schools, workplaces, and media outlets can help by fostering a culture of mental health support and compassion.

Resources, support and events:

Access to immediate help can save lives. Having access to the right resources and events can also help to reduce chances of an individual leading to suicidal thoughts. Below are some useful resources, support and events available:

  • Samaritans (116 123) offers free support for people in distress.
  • Mind Charity
  • NHS 111 – offers mental health support line
  • Healthwatch Wandsworth Assembly, free event aimed at supporting the community and providing tools to help keep loneliness at bay. Taking place on 24th October 2024.
  • Wandsworth specific mental health support line.
  • The listening place – offers free face to face support across London, allowing individuals to talk openly about their feelings without being judged or given advice.
  • Kooth – Online wellbeing community, allowing you access to free, safe and anonymous support.
  • Volunteer Befriending Network – Volunteer to be a befriender, support others and create new relationships.
  • Wandsworth government website has a list of useful resources, learn more here.


Preventing suicide is not just the responsibility of mental health professionals. Every person can play a part in helping those at risk. By raising awareness, breaking down stigmas, and creating a compassionate environment where people feel safe to seek help, we can work towards a world where fewer lives are lost to suicide.

If you have any more resources that can support this article, please send us an email on communications@wandcareall.org.uk

Free skilled work placements

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Skilled volunteering is a great way for people to share time in a way that really helps community work to grow. If someone works professionally in a job doing things like: HR, digital skills, marketing, PR, project management, etc. they might not even realise that spending a few hours each week helping a charity with a skills gaps, could amount to £1,000s worth of specialist help to work toward their objectives.

LinkUp LDN works across London to match skilled volunteers to charitable organisations, and being based in Battersea they have a long standing in the Wandsworth community.

Wandsworth Care Alliance recently recruited our first skilled volunteer from LinkUp LDN, and this article shares some answers to questions you might have about how it works.

What kind of skills are available?

LinkUp’s website asks for people with all skills including marketing, HR, strategy, communications, social media, legal, finance, data collection / analysis, research, writing organisational development, systems design and much more. We decided to recruit for a PR strategist and got a volunteer who could help us with advocacy too!

How do I know I’m eligible for a skilled volunteer?

LinkUp have a useful and easy form I recommend filling in even if you aren’t eligible. It will help you to reflect on your needs and ability to support a skilled volunteer. LinkUP will let you know the results with a friendly follow up.

How do I decide exactly what I need?

LinkUP have a several stage process for matching organisations, first the qualifier form, then a meeting, they will take you through the reasonable project timelines in a clear and informative way. In our 1-2-1 LinkUP really helped us to look at our wider needs and decide on priorities. They helped us to narrow down the volunteer specification to write an appealing advert, they then sent it back to us for feedback before posting.

How long does it take to recruit?

Recruiting volunteers varies depending on the skills and interests of prospective volunteers but they aim to make a match in a month. There is a big audience and it was very reassuring to hear that our volunteer found out about the programme through a friend who did a placement and enjoyed it. The programmes are popularly growing through word of mouth so there is plenty of potential to recruit.

How many volunteers can I recruit and for how long?

LinkUp limits each organisation to one active project at a time and the projects can last up to 3 months. The plausible commitment from a volunteer is 1-3 hours per week, you can discuss the pattern with them in a call but this is what they have found works and we trust it.

What will my volunteer be like?

LinkUp are great for bringing volunteers and organisations together but from that point on the organisation is responsible for making a volunteer agreement like any other volunteering route. It’s worth noting that a lot of skilled volunteers will be offering their time alongside a full time job so they might require contact out of office hours and its worth doing everything you can to engage them and thank them for the commitment they are making.

LinkUP do a great job however of checking in to make sure the project is progressing well and once you meet your volunteer in an online call between LinkUP, your volunteer manager, and the prospective volunteer you will be guided to decide what the work pattern and term could be. We work very flexibly with our volunteer, planning short weekly catchups as we would rather them spend their limited time on the project work. Each organisation will inevitably be different.

If you’re interested in advertising for a skilled volunteer, visit https://linkuplondon.org/ to find out more.

If you want to recruit general volunteers you can also advertise on our volunteer Wandsworth website too. Contact Jummy@wandcareall.org.uk to find out more or click here to register.

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