Blackout Poetry*, Awakening Festivals, meditation and even gardening. Here’s how community halls help us stay mindful…
STEP 5: Take notice – some people call this awareness “mindfulness”. Mindfulness can help people enjoy life more and understand themselves better. It can positively change the way we feel about life and how we approach challenges
At St Faith’s hub, Kate tells me they have hosted Blackout Poetry Creative Workshops run by an organisation called Think Big Do Bigger. They are also making a Community Village Board to accompany their Community Cardboard Village using the grant they received from Action Hampshire’s Communities Against Cancer project. These are mindfulness activities which help the community take notice of the world around them.
In the spirit of mindfulness, Beaulieu Village Hall is holding a New Forest Awakening Festival to mark Village Halls Week 2026. It’s an event full of ideas from enthusiastic people committed to helping the community be healthier, fitter, happier, more sustainable, and more fulfilled.
Luan advises that their centres offer the community mindful activities such as Sound baths, Martial Arts, Yoga and Meditation. There’s something for everyone and if gardening’s your go-to choice for mindfulness she’ll send you outdoors for some green-fingered activities!
Read a blog to discover our take on whether community halls meet all the NHS’ 5 steps to well-being
*Blackout Poetry is created by erasing words from an existing text in prose or verse and framing the result on the page as a poem
