“I met my social prescriber in November 2022, and everything changed. That was nearly two years ago. Getting fruit and veg on prescription has transformed my life.
After lockdown, I couldn’t get myself together and was finding it hard to leave the house. I’d been a teacher for 24 years, on senior leadership teams and then to nothing and no income. I’ve been in survivalist mode for years, suffering from depression and anxiety and being diagnosed with diabetes. Then, I found out about social prescribing. I went to Bromley by Bow Centre, which I’ve known all my life and still couldn’t come to terms with what social prescribing meant. I thought I just needed medication.
I remember my first day at the centre. It was raining and I managed to leave the house to meet my social prescriber. It took me three attempts to make it inside and join the group but I did it. I met lovely people there who put me at ease.
I think that the work Alexandra Rose Charity is doing is wonderful. Somebody at Bromley by Bow Centre saw I needed help and helped me. I wouldn’t have asked. The people in my community have been great, and I just want to give back to them. This project has been huge for me. I want more people to know about social prescribing, what it is, and the difference it can make.
When I got the Rose Vouchers for fruit and veg, I thought, ‘Brilliant, I don’t have to worry about food; I can at least still eat’. It was lifesaving for me. Fruit and veg are the stars of every meal now. I still like my rice and chicken, but there’s not a meal where I don’t include fruit and veg. I usually have an omelette at lunch filled with vegetables. When I’m shopping, as soon as I see what fruit and veg are available, I start thinking about how I could add them to a meal.
I’ve met a friend through the project who I go to the market with. She’s inspired me to buy fruit and veg I wouldn’t ordinarily buy and be creative. We’ve worked out the best time to go to the market to get the most produce for our money and make every voucher go even further. They’re very good at Chrisp Street Market. It’s nice to go places where people know you.
Being part of this project means the world to me. A lot of the positive changes that have happened have come off the back of me having access to fruit and vegetables. One day, visiting the food pantry, I was offered so many ripe bananas, I thought, ‘I can turn these into smoothies and banana bread’. I’ve turned it into a business, selling banana bread to my neighbours and people attending groups at the centre. I wait until the bananas get really ripe so I don’t need too much sugar and cook mostly at night when the energy is cheaper. I want to do something for myself and my community.
I’ve caught the joy of cooking now. It’s been a complete lifestyle change; I could never go back. The way that I’m eating and the food choices I’m making now are forever. Before I started receiving the vouchers, I was feeling so awful. I had blood tests and my blood pressure taken and found out I had Type 2 Diabetes and high cholesterol. I attended a great online diabetic course and went along to a Healthy Plate workshop run as part of the Fruit & Veg on Prescription Project. It reinforced everything for me. I used to see veg as the bit on the side of a meal, but that has changed hugely. I have surprised myself with the amount of fruit and veg I’ve eaten over the last two years.
It’s the coming together of it all – the drip effect of positive change. When people used to ask me what I enjoyed doing, I’d say ‘nothing. Just leave me.’ But the support I’ve had from Bromley by Bow Centre has been incredible, and now I’m part of a business enterprise group and attend an embroidery class, which I love. When I finish a piece, I sew a red button on the back, like an artist’s signature. Before, I couldn’t face sewing the buttons back on my winter coat, even though it would keep me warm. Each new piece reminds me of where I was and where I’m going.
Even though these last few years have been so difficult, financially, emotionally and mentally, I actually feel my life is richer today. I’m sat here talking to you, looking at a full fruit bowl and thinking about what I can make with it all.
It doesn’t end here. I just want to live my life and be healthy and happy. I keep three Rose Vouchers in my purse, and when I see them I think, ‘they were for you.’”