WEMPOWERED CIC

Dear friends of WEmpowered CIC!

During the 6 week school summer holidays, we thought we would share a few wellbeing-themed blog posts!

Our first WE Wellbeing summer post talked about ‘the art of wandering’ and Mindful Mondays, which is a weekly space at our Wild Flowers Allotment, Sorrel Road to take a moment for a light walk, stretch, chat, relax with other women over a healthy snack (children welcome to join with parental/guardian supervision).

Our next theme is Community! 🌍 💕 This is something close to many of our hearts in the Leys. Whether we have family and friends near or far, we can find small ways to connect with fellow Leys residents and over time grow to support one another.

It can be hard to get to know new people, especially in an unfamiliar cultural environment and when caring for family members or young children. Here are some ways in which WE women have found connection:

• Exploring local spaces and activities ☕ and see what and who you connect with. Free activities here include Rhymetime, Lego Club and Adult Craft Sessions at Blackbird Leys Library and Play & Learn summer sessions at Cuddesdon Corner
• Volunteering 🌻 WEmpowered is run by volunteers, from watering plants at the allotment, face painting at events, teaching English, helping to clear up after an activity, offering thoughts/feedback/ideas for future activities… every offer of help is much appreciated. (If you’d like to lend a hand, please contact Marta at wempower.contact@gmail.com!) +MOMMA TIP!: Look out for flexible opportunities to volunteer that allow you to help out while your family joins too, for example the upcoming free Community Champs Day Camp at Windale Primary (3-6 August 2026) that local mum Hannah is helping to coordinate
• Starting a local business 🌱 that aims to serve those in the neighbourhood and that aligns with your particular skills and values (in the Leys we have women offering a wide range of professional skills, from cooking, fitness training, computer programming, tutoring, writing, illustrating, accounting and more…)

And finally, some food for thought: “The real secret for building social cohesion is not that we hang out with people like us, it’s that we’re prepared to hang out with people not like us… We succeed when we invite the people next door in for a cup of tea, not for any reason other than because they’re neighbours.” (Hugh Mackay, cited in The Guardian article, ‘How to find community in 2025: ‘The most important thing I’ve learned is I’m not alone’).

Photos below: ‘One People, One Place’ mosaic community art project facilitated by Danii and Emily at the Leys Festival 2026; andthe first Mindful Monday session of the summer, led by Rose who shared different breathing methods, women and children enjoyed peacefully connecting with nature and each other while snacking on watermelon, houmous and pitta bread!