I was pleased this week to visit the Lee Valley Millennium Centre in Belle Vale to catch up with Viv Graham and some of the services there.

Kindred Minds provide a range of art-based groups and classes that allow local people to come in, spend time with others and learn new skills. The demand for their services, like all the groups I met, has gone up as people are impacted by the cost of living crisis putting such a strain on local families and residents.

The community café was busy, providing affordable hot food to local people and, importantly as energy prices have sky-rocketed, gives people a warm space to come and meet others. On a Friday there is even a sing song session led by Joe, one of the volunteers in the kitchen. There was real community buzz about the place.

There was also a yoga class and sequence dancing popular with the local community, although the overnight snow had hit attendance for both. What was great, though, was seeing people within the community putting on activities like these to help others.

It was good to see the One-Stop Shop and Library open and to talk to the staff there. The Library is a valuable community resource, especially as people struggle to pay their bills and have to scale back on entertainment. The library has a fantastic selection of books and audiobooks and add new titles all the time.