London’s most caring borough
We've supported Carers Trust since 2020, to raise awareness and funds for the 7 million unpaid carer’s across the UK. This autumn, in celebration of the 2 year anniversary of the partnership, we have launched 3 limited edition bouquets designed exclusively by young adult carers - with £1 donated to Carers Trust for every bouquet sold.
Young carers spend most of their time looking after the needs of other people. As a result, their mental wellbeing, free time, social connection and future prospects can be negatively impacted. In a recent survey with young and young adult carers, Carers Trust found that:
53% said the amount of time they spend caring per week had increased in the past year
44% said their mental health is worse
47% said they felt less connected to others
46% said their education was suffering
41% said they were concerned about their future prospects
We've conducted research to reveal the top 10 most caring boroughs in London.
The most caring borough
From art clubs and community centres to libraries and outdoor gyms, we looked at all of the free services provided by London boroughs that could help young carers tackle their concerns and challenges. These activities and services can help provide young carers and the wider community with the relief they need, by supporting them through respite, boosting their physical and mental wellbeing, encouraging self-education, building vital connections and enhancing ways to look after the planet.
To work out the overall most caring borough, we added together the number of support features for each borough to come up with a score out of 396 points. This ranking includes all of the categories we looked into and takes into account the following factors:
School and Work Support – What opportunities are there for individuals to access education and employment? We looked at the number of spaces that promote education and work opportunities, such as libraries, museums, job centres, and online job opportunities.
Social Support – How good is the borough at preventing social isolation? This includes the number of community centres, artist workspaces, art centres, and outdoor spaces for cultural use.
Mental Health Support – How much thought is given to creating calming spaces to support mental health? The availability of spaces such as skate parks, outdoor gyms, and community gardens can make a difference to those struggling.
Caring for the Planet – How much effort is put into preserving the planet? This includes the number of social farms and community gardens and also waste recycling percentages.
When it comes to supporting its residents, the best borough to live in overall is Southwark. This caring, inner city borough received the highest score out of all the boroughs we looked into, with 344 points out of a possible 396. Not only did it come out top overall, but it also ranked as the best borough to live in for mental health support features.
Next on the list is Lambeth, which happens to also come joint first for the best borough with mental health support. This means it has plenty of outdoor space to enjoy as a community. In third place, we find Ealing, which is also the borough doing the most to protect the environment.
The borough with the best career opportunities
Ensuring an area has plenty of school and work resources is really important to help support those who might not get it at home. Resources such as libraries, museums, public galleries, and career support centres can help residents find work, apply for schools and universities, and help them study in a peaceful and stimulating environment.
With 17 libraries open to the public, 5 career support centres and over 1,119 job openings, Enfield is the best borough to live in for school and work opportunities. Enfield is London’s northernmost borough and has the highest number of libraries and spaces offering career support out of the top ten boroughs, giving residents an excellent leg-up in the job market and their studies.
In second place, Croydon also has a great number of libraries but excels in career support locations and number of jobs getting second place in each area. Found in the south of London, Croydon was 8th in our overall ranking but really pulls ahead of most other boroughs for jobs and schooling, with over 1,800 work opportunities. Thirdly, Croydon’s eastern neighbour, Bromley, is also doing well in supporting its residents with school and work. This area actually has more libraries and museums than Croydon does, giving its residents the opportunity to learn in spaces outside a school environment. However, the lack of spaces offering career advancement support and jobs overall brings its ranking down.
The most connected community
As humans, we are social creatures and need to be surrounded by others to thrive and be happy. Some members of our society, such as those with disabilities, young carers or the elderly, are often socially isolated, so making sure your neighbourhood puts human connections and community first can help make sure no one goes without that all-important social contact.
The best place in London at preventing social isolation is Hackney. With over 132 community centres, artist workspaces, and art centres to its name, this central London borough really helps its community get together in plenty of spaces dedicated to togetherness.
In second place, we have Tower Hamlets. This borough covers much of the traditional East End of London and is a close contender for the best place to live for community spaces. With a high number of artist workspaces, art centres, and outdoor spaces, Tower Hamlets really focuses on making its residents feel connected.
The best mental health support
Going outdoors and spending time with plants and nature can improve your mental health as well as raise your attention span, lower stress levels, and improve your mood. According to a study done in 2014, “proximity to greenspace has been associated with lower levels of stress and reduced symptomology for depression and anxiety.” Basically, spending time in nature can help you feel brighter, less stressed, and calmer. So because of this, we decided to look into which London borough had the most outside spots to spend time in, including skate parks, outside gyms, and outdoor culture spots.
Those of you who live in Southwark will be pleased to know that your borough really cares about you being able to get out and about. With 2 skate parks, 25 outdoor gyms, and 3 outside culture spaces, this is the borough that provides the most free sports spaces that can help with a mental health healing journey.
The south London borough of Lambeth comes in joint first place with Southwark with an identical scoring. Although it has fewer cultural spaces and outdoor gyms, it boasts 5 total skate parks and 16 outdoor gyms offering residents plenty of endorphin-boosting activities in the area.
The most caring for the planet
No one wants to live in a polluted area – it not only damages the environment, it can also damage our mental and physical health. This is bad news for someone who might already be struggling with their health. If a borough supports the environment by offering waste recycling services and encouraging community gardens or social farms, the look and sustainability of the area are greatly improved, and the pollution levels are reduced!
Social farms and community gardens encourage residents to become more socially and sustainably conscious, and they provide a source of organic produce. This is paramount when living in cities where it is so easy to lose touch with people and nature. When it comes to celebrating local food production, Lambeth and Ealing are the two boroughs doing the most. With 34 and 30, social farms and community gardens, respectively, people in the area are truly spoiled for choice. Coming in third joint place are Barnet and Haringey, with 28 social farms and community gardens each.
On the other hand, caring for the planet should go further than being aware of the issues. Apart from traffic management, waste collection and recycling are how boroughs can truly make a difference as, on average, London boroughs recycle 30% of their collected waste, meaning that a solid 70% goes into landfill. The boroughs currently recycling more than 30% of their waste are Bexley, Kingston upon Thames, and Sutton. Bexley recycles almost half of its collected waste (48%), while Kingston upon Thames and Sutton follow closely with 47% and 45% of recycled waste, respectively.
Caring for the community
Living in an area that supports its community with plenty of social, work, and life services can help young people and carers excel, thrive and support them where they may not traditionally have any.
We've have teamed up with Carers Trust to help support young carers with their life and career goals. If you know someone who could do with a little bit of extra TLC, why not treat them to an extra special bouquet designed by young carers? Or, read about our partnership with Carers Trust to find out more about the work we’re doing with them.