This article was originally published in South Leeds Life

Sao Tome and Principe community group have been one busy bee in the South Leeds community lately!

After attending the Starting Your Organisation from Scratch training that Voluntary Action Leeds offers for free, this new community group was set up in Inner South Leeds. Founded by individuals from Sao Tome and Principe, an island nation in Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, and other residents who speak Portuguese. Their aim is to improve wellbeing and health of their members and promote community cohesion via good deeds and multicultural events.

One of the ways they are trying to break the cultural barrier in improving physical wellbeing is by taking more of an unconventional route. Litter picking, for example, has now become a regular activity this group participates in.

They have been successful in applying for some funding to buy litter picking equipment of their own. So not only they are keeping our streets clean but squeezing in some steps too. It’s a family affair with kids of all ages coming along.

STP also has family football sessions every Saturday at John Charles playing fields, another great way for the whole family to get fit and make friends. I found them to be such fun yet down to earth people and to promote community cohesion they are making their cultural celebrations as inclusive as possible.

In the summer they held an Independence Day event where hundreds of people from different nationalities attended. Food was shared, family sports were played, cultures and traditions were celebrated. A true example of communities coming together.

Thanks to Better Action for Families this group has been able to get a Small Sparks grant to help regular meet ups within the group and subsidise travel costs for those most vulnerable.

In October STP community group took its members out to Yorkshire Dales for a hike up Pen-y-ghent, another of their clever ways to entice people into more physical exercise. Many of the individuals had never been to the Yorkshire Dales, let alone a hike. It was such a great, fun day out with singing and dancing on the way that the group are now meeting with the organisation People and the DALES in January to work together and plan a couple more trips out to Yorkshire Dales.

All the members of this group are so welcoming and passionate, their zest for community improvement is just contagious. They support their members by offering advice and help around the subjects of debt, housing, energy issues, health, wellbeing and many more.

To finish off a busy year STP members really wanted to do something nice for those less fortunate, so on the evening of 17 December they went out to feed the homeless in South Leeds and the City Centre.

Again, the younger ones joined in, helping where they could, which is an incredible way to promote kindness and gratitude within families. It was a cold and dark evening, but many people were reached and benefited from this.

Overall, this group is looking at a successful and ambitious start to the 2023, with many more activities, events, and trips out! Happy New Year to all!

If you would like to become a member or would like more information, please contact Lusamira on 07774 519085 or Project development worker Dasha via email daria.pluto@leeds.gov.uk.

This article was written by Dasha Pluto for South Leeds Life.

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