Summer of Wellbeing Festivals 2026

Bromley by Bow Centre - Wednesday 5 August

Face painting, bubbles, a colourful Fruit Shack, a gaming bus and sports taster sessions were just some of the things on offer at our first festival.

Our own stall quickly became a magnet for children. And then came The Great Ice Lolly Hustle™. Once these enterprising youngsters realised a sticker vote or writing a “more football!” note for the suggestion box earned them a stamp on their engagement cards and brought them one step closer to a free ice lolly, the board was very busy indeed. We can’t really blame them!

Besides any lolly-fuelled voting, we also had some really useful conversations with local families. We heard that some fall into a gap where they’re not eligible for holiday schemes like HAF, but still can’t afford paid activities or childcare during the school holidays.

126 sticker votes

Sports & Movement was the most popular category, followed by Family Activities.

Hosted with Bromley by Bow Centre, Bromley by Bow Health, Bromley by Bow and Stepney (B&SH) Health CIC and Family Action

Partners on the day: Healthwatch Tower Hamlets, Alzheimer’s Society, Idea Stores, Trapped in Zone One, Tower Hamlets Public Health, Social Action For Health and others.

Poplar Picnic at Bartlett Park - Saturday 8 August

Poplar Picnic brought people out to Bartlett Park for an afternoon of music, market stalls and even a six-metre recycling robot strolling about!

It was another hot, sunny day. The big tree by the café became the unofficial picnic HQ, with families squeezing into its shade. There was plenty to see too, including a 1950s replica living room and the Rosie Lee Tea Tent, conducting very important research into biscuit dunking habits, part of the Festival of Britain’s 75th anniversary celebrations.

Our Summer of Wellbeing area stayed busy with face painting, balloon modelling, a bouncy castle and local community organisations and health support.

As our only weekend festival, we had more time to hear from working adults, parents and older residents who can’t always get to weekday activities. Conversations went beyond activities too. People raised cleaner streets, healthier food options, less time on phones, and more chances to connect face to face. One person put it plainly: “More nice salad shops, less fried chicken shops!”

118 sticker votes

Creative Activities was the most popular category, followed by Nature & Gardening and Sports & Movement.

Hosted by Poplar Union and Poplar Harca

Partners on the day: Idea Stores, Barts Health NHS Trust, Alzheimer’s Society, Breast Cancer Now, Healthy Island Partnership, Urban Unity Network, QMUL Stop Smoking Service, Tower Hamlets Public Health Team, Consortium 50 and others.

Isle of Dogs, Castalia Square - Wednesday 12 August

Another beautiful sunny day brought people out to Castalia Square for our third festival, with music, children’s activities and lots going on throughout the afternoon.

Our co-hosts at Island House Community Centre brought along information about their regular activities, as well as sharing some fruit and veg from Felix. There were activity taster sessions too, from Mood Boosting Moves and Hatha Yoga to the energetic Relentless Ronnie and her Old Skool Aerobics. Thankfully, the exercise sessions were in the air-conditioned room!

We also loved the moment the local nursery children came out after their lunchtime nap and made straight for the bouncy castle.

The conversations we had here were particularly direct about money and affordability. People told us that even subsidised activities can still be out of reach when household budgets are tight, and some free activities can be difficult to find, sign up for or actually access.

86 sticker votes

Healthy Cooking was the most popular category, followed by Sports & Movement.

Hosted with Island House Community Centre and The Riverside Group

Partners on the day: Access Sport, Alzheimer’s Society, Healthwatch Tower Hamlets, Healthy Island Partnership, Social Action For Health, Barts Health NHS Trust, Mind THNR, Idea Stores, the NOCLOR research team, Family Action, Trapped in Zone One and East London Recovery College

St. Stephen's Green - Thursday 20 August

Our fourth and final festival took us to St Stephen’s Green in Bow. The forecast threatened rain all afternoon, but we mostly got away with sunshine and just a few minutes of rain. After such a long, dry summer, we think some people were almost pleased to see it!

Our co-hosts at Clarion Futures brought along their community team, who helped visitors get creative painting bird and bug houses and mini flower pots, as well as sharing wildflower seeds. There were people enjoying the whole park too, from the inflatable basketball challenge to families making use of the outdoor gym while they were there.

It was also a great chance for us to meet the local people and community groups in Bow, and we’re looking forward to seeing more new activities from this area added to the Well One site.

Conversations reflected the mix of people here, with teenagers and older residents particularly well represented.

Older residents asked for gentle exercise, arts and crafts and social activities closer to home; some said they currently travel to Bromley by Bow. Younger people wanted more sport, including girls-only and mixed activities, cycling, climbing, swimming and water sports, plus gardening for people without their own garden and repairs to broken outdoor gym equipment in local parks.

62 sticker votes

Sports & Movement was the most popular category, followed by Creative Activities.

Hosted with Clarion Futures and Clarion Housing

Partners on the day: Breast Cancer Now, Access Sport, Tower Hamlets Public Health Team, Healthy Tower Hamlets, Idea Stores, QMUL Stop Smoking Service, Alzheimer’s Society, Barts Health NHS Trust, NHS Homerton Healthcare, and the NOCLOR research team