Our free lunch club celebrates its first anniversary!

Every Wednesday, our Community Hubs team host a free lunch club at Leavesden Green Community Hub, known by the regulars as Jimmy’s Jackets. We are pleased to say that it has just celebrated its first birthday! 

These sessions began back in November 2023 as a safe space for members of the community to escape the cold and connect with others during the winter months.

Originally, the lunch club project was only intended to last six weeks, but with funding from Watford Borough Council and Watford Community Housing’s Community Chest Fund, it has continued for over a year.

From the first session with six attendees, to the most recent with over 25, Jimmy’s Jackets has become a community of its own, helping to tackle social isolation by giving people somewhere to socialise and stay warm during the winter.  

Karen Jago, our Senior Community Hubs Officer, said: “We are very proud to be able to bring the community together each week. Over this past year my whole team have built up fantastic relationships with the attendees, including some who are quite isolated and vulnerable.

“It feels very rewarding and is something we all look forward to each week.”

We have received lots of positive feedback from those who come along. One commented: “I am very fortunate to still have my husband, but many people here don’t and are coming here for that crucial bit of human interaction – it is a very special place for them.” 

Another attendee said: “I heard about it on the grapevine through my sister but now I feel part of the group too, everyone was so welcoming!”

Places are strictly limited and must be booked in advance. For more information, you can email CommunityHubs@wcht.org.uk or call 0800 218 2247.