CROYDON BLACK and Minority Ethnic Forum will be opening a Wellness Centre in the heart of the borough of Croydon from February 2020.

The Wellness Centre will offer a variety of services for the community which will include mentoring and counselling as well as other health oriented initiatives.

The Croydon BME Forum was established in 2002, with a remit to maximise the engagement of BME communities in all aspects of living and working in the Borough.

To date, the Forum has seen hundreds of individuals through their doors in 17 years of service to the community and they are still only getting started.

The Croydon BME Forum is the umbrella organisation for Croydon’s Black and Minority Ethnic voluntary and community sector and their work covers:
• Capacity Building • Mental Health
• Serious Youth Violence
• Domestic Abuse
• Elderly People
• Race and Equality issues

Recent changes have included a move to new premises and the appointment of a new Chief Executive. The entire team works tirelessly to ensure that the BME community is involved in activities, decisions, and events that affect their lives.

Some of the Forum’s accomplishments and present work includes:
Black History Month events, Windrush celebrations, domestic violence, serious youth crime, and mental health summits and a regular programme of activities for older people which has included, the very popular Shopping Bus which provides vital transportation to and from supermarkets for older adults to do their shopping.

Partnerships include those with Croydon Council, Whitgift Centre, Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group, SLaM and Croydon University Hospital as well as with local businesses in the borough.

The Forum employs expert and highly skilled Community Development Workers, who have run Domestic Abuse and Mental Health Awareness workshops. The Croydon BME Forum’s remit is to also Advocate on behalf of the community, Represent the BME community at a strategic level within Croydon and ensure that their voice is heard.

CEO Andrew Brown was asked what the biggest take from their mission was so far? He said: “February 2020 will mark the dawning of a long term objective, the introduction of a Wellness Centre, which will be based in the heart of Croydon and we simply can’t wait.”

The Wellness Centre will have over 23 dynamic health services and workshops available including:
• Counselling
• Mentoring
• Stress Management