Photos of the Community Cafes

View photos from each of the Community Cafes by clicking on the links below.

poplar

white city

canning town

brent

southwark

haringey

croydon

plumstead

Toolkit Results

As part of the Community Café consultations to inform Well London, Community Representatives were given Tool Kits to collect information about their areas. This information was used to both inform the marketing strategy to ensure the community would attend the Community Café consultations and add to the opinions, thoughts, needs and wants collected at the café.

Some of the information from the toolkits used in White City is displayed below.

Mail Collection Task

Community Representatives were asked to collect flyers, leaflets, gazettes and junk mail that came through the door for a week. These were used to both inform the design of the publicity material and to understand what kind services already exist in the area. Below is one Community Reps’ mail collection:

These leaflets reveal a number of services that are available to residents and start to build a picture of there area. From this small sample it seems that there are many services offered to the community by the local authority and support organisations.

Photo Task

Disposable cameras were given to Community Representatives along with a set of questions linked to the Well London themes of healthy eating, physical activity and mental well being.. The reps answered the questions by taking pictures of their communities and environments to give an insight into each community.Some examples of the images captured and the comments made by the reps are shown below.

Take a picture of a place that you can buy food from in your area.

“Shepards Bush Market. There are few shops but not healthy or variety.”

Take a picture of something that upsets you in your area.

“Children misbehaving”

Take a picture of somewhere that you feel uncomfortable or unsafe in your area.

“It is scary to walk at night time.”

Take a picture of somewhere you could do some physical activity (e.g. stair climbing, sport, dog walking, games).

“Phoenix Fitness Centre”

Take a picture of your favourite open space.

Take a picture of something that makes you feel happy

“The access to the school, church, health centre …”

Info on using a visual research methodology

The information below relates to the visual information (photos, images, pictures) gathered by Community Representatives using the Toolkits.

Visual research refers to using still or moving images. These are collected in conjunction with some form of narrative that provides context to the image and largely determines how it is interpreted. Visual research has been most commonly used in social anthropology and sociology, where it typically focuses on particular groups of the population (Banks 2001). It is becoming more frequently used in psychological research (Prosser 1988), as well as marketing and market research (e.g. Orient Pacific 2003). However, visual research per se is still disregarded as a valid methodology by many academic disciplines (MacDougal 1997).

There are of course relevant criticisms associated with visual research, which might discourage its use. Not least because there may be a degree of ignorance or lack of experience in the collection, analysis and interpretation of visual data. … An image and associated caption may be an accurate depiction, but can equally represent a false or contrived situation. However, whilst these are valid points, concerns about subjectivity and researcher integrity can be raised for most research approaches. Qualitative data for instance relies on the researcher ‘subjectively’ reporting the key issues which they identify from the mass of descriptive information ( e.g. Greatorex 1997). All research methodologies have their merits and shortcomings and no single approach can be viewed as being the ‘ideal, all encompassing’ solution. Visual research should therefore also be viewed in terns of its potential benefits.

As with more traditional qualitative approaches, such as focus groups and depth interviews, visual research is a valid exploratory technique, particularly useful in helping to understand complex systems. Since it invariably involves detailed investigation of a smaller sample the information generated is not statistically reliable but highly descriptive. It therefore offers a depth of insight and understanding not forthcoming with quantitative approaches.

Other advantages of visual research are that:
- It collects detailed information and can record things too complex to explain
- Pictures and visual data can be collected and processed quickly
- Likewise images are quickly processed and assessed by the viewer
- They allow others to gain a clear impression, without having to have been there at the time of data collection.
- Images may be analysed and revisited post data collection, aspects not initially considered to be important can therefore be examined
- They have longer-term value and can be stored for use in the future.

Source: Visual Research and its role in understanding society in emerging markets, Steven J Greenland, London Metropolitan University, UK

First Community Cafes

The first two Community Cafes were held this week in Tower Hamlets and White City and they were a great success.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who was involved in organising and delivering.

Instructions for Toolkits

Well London is concentrating on 20 areas in London and before any work begins, the Well London team want to engage local people and find out their thoughts on health in their community. This will be done through Community Cafés in each area. The Community Café is an informal, friendly environment where members of the community can come for a drink and share their thoughts.

To make Well London as successful as possible it is vital that we hear as may opinions from as many people as possible, and this is where you can help!

By agreeing to be one of the Community Representatives of your area, you will be working with a highly qualified team of designers, health professionals and exciting organisations to develop ways in which we can get people’s attention and encourage them to attend the Community Cafes.

In order for all the other Community Reps and the Well London team to understand more about your community and to be able to create ways to attract lots of people to the Community Cafes, we are asking you to complete the ‘Toolkit’ that you have been given. This toolkit will provide us with really in-depth and insightful information.

The toolkits consists of:
- a camera (with a stamped address envelope)
- a recording devise
- a log book
- a task
- a blank postcard

There are instructions on each item explaining how to use them and what to do with them. Please read them careful and be aware that there are no right or wrong answers – we want to know your true feelings and insights about your area.

If you have any problems with the items, or would like any further advice or explanations, please get in touch with:
Mary Cook, T: 07780684005, E: mary@uscreates.com

Info on becoming a Community Rep

This flyer can be downloaded for people considering becoming a Community Rep.

reps-flyer.pdf

Equipment for the Community Cafes

Please could all partners look at this list and let Uscreates know if you can supply any of items.

Info@uscreates.com

community-cafe-equipment-list.pdf