Adapting to Lockdown 3 at Our Hammersmith & Fulham Services - Team ROC

The emergence of the new, more infectious strain of SARS-CoV-2 precipitated a significant change in how we approach activities and opportunities in Hammersmith and Fulham. While in the early part of the winter we were able to run small, socially distanced groups within individual projects, the increased risk of viral transmission meant we had to cease all group work. So, yet again, we were sent back to the drawing board to creatively (re)imagine what our activities and Opportunities Programme might look like.

As a matter of necessity, this has involved a pivot towards one-on-one activities in which strict social-distancing protocol can be maintained. Thankfully, this has been more of a question of adaptation rather than (re)invention.

Table Tennis:
Residents at both our high and medium support projects first expressed an interest in playing table tennis towards the end of last summer. Thanks to the support of the Sport + Health Team, we were able to acquire a set of table tennis bats and balls that allowed us to make use of tables in the nearby Normand Park. As the seasons turned, the idea of going out to play obviously became less appealing and it looked like we might need to abandon play until the spring. However, using a relatively cheap net purchased on the internet, we have been able to (temporarily) transform kitchen tables at two of our projects into indoor table tennis tables. While the tables do sometimes generate some irregular bounces, it has allowed us to keep one-on-one games going throughout the service. Indeed, at the time of writing, two of our residents have begun developing the structure of an intra-house league, which promises to inject a little friendly competition into the proceedings.

Cooking & Eating:
Cooking has been at the heart of so much of what we have done over the last 12 months, particularly at our high-support hostel on Perham Road. During the summer and autumn, we focused on cooking groups, house meals and one-off events for Notting Hill Carnival and Black History Month. With the onset of the latest national lockdown, we have moved to one-on-one cooking sessions in which a resident and I jointly devise and cook a meal for both staff and other residents to enjoy.

To comply with social distancing restrictions, we have had to forego collective eating instead making meals that can be taken-away or delivered directly to people’s front doors. These arrangements are obviously no substitute for the magic of getting round a table together, but in these times of isolation, they’ve let us hold on to some of the joy of sharing food with other people.

Blog by Jack Etches | Team ROC Star

Back to all Opportunities Updates