Meet the Good Soles supporting families in West Earlham

Lewis Wardale is one of the directors of Good Soles, a newly-formed CIC aiming to support families across West Earlham in Norwich. Here, the graduate entry medicine student explains how what started out as an inclusive running/walking club has become a force for good

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Lewis, I’m currently studying Graduate Entry Medicine at the UEA, I also work at the NNUH and the Lion’s Den part time. And recently become director of Good Soles CIC. That’s probably easiest in a nutshell of who I am, this would be too long to tell you everything I do!

What led to the setting up of Good Soles and who else is involved?

Good Soles started as an inclusive Run/walk club to get people moving their bodies and socialising with one another. It then developed into a vessel to do good. I used the brand to create merchandise and a message of Good People doing good things and so used it as a vessel to fundraise for the local community. The original event was a 110-mile race for the Norwich Food bank, inviting independent gyms and businesses to donate over half a tonne of food and £3000 for the community.

Annie Jennings (now one of the Directors) saw this effort and asked if I’d raise money for West Earlham, a place experiencing food insecurity and high levels of deprivation. And so, we created a Christmas project raising over £8000 for 300 Christmas hampers for all the children at West Earlham Infant and Nursery School. And now we’ve kept the school’s local food and essential item bank topped up all year too!

In terms of who is involved now, we have Levi, Beth, Scott, Annie and me on the board of directors now we are an established CIC.

What is the main mission?

The mission is to end the health inequalities created by socioeconomic deprivation in Norwich, starting in West Earlham, through ending food insecurity, education and creating social cohesion. 

When did Good Soles become a CIC and how will that help you make a difference?

Good Soles became a CIC in May this year. It allows for us to partner with businesses more easily and allows for us to attempt to capture pots of funding hopefully. 

What’s the aim of the summer project in West Earlham?

The summer project is to create a fun, inclusive and social space for learning and activities for both the parents and children of West Earlham. We understand it can be tough in the summer holidays to provide for the children so we’re cutting the barrier to entry by making this completely free for the families! We will be providing cooking lessons from professional chefs and activities from local providers, from crafts to karate we have it all!  

What did you do last weekend?

Six of us pushed themselves to the physical and mental limit for 24 hours at the Run Sandringham event. An event that requires you to run/walk as many 5-mile loops as possible in 24 hours! 

What do you love about running?

For me it’s about being social and moving my body with others, there’s something very ancestral about it. I also love exploring new places in nature. And perhaps the way it tests the mental and physical limits! 

What are your hopes and dreams for Good Soles?

We really hope to create social cohesion and a great sense of community within West Earlham and other areas of Norwich so that we can tackle the health inequalities faced within. For example, a female living in West Earlham is expected to live 77 years and a female just across the road in Eaton is expected to live 10 years more to 87. That’s not fair. And we’d like to play our part in changing that! 

How can people support you/find out more about the current project?

The main place to find out more is currently our Instagram page GoodSolesUk; we have a link to our fundraising page there. We will also be releasing some more merchandise for people to buy which will help go towards the project. We will also be asking local gyms and businesses to donate food and other essential items that can be handed out during the summer! Massive thank you to everyone that has helped us make the differences we have made so far! 

Follow @goodsolesuk on Instagram and support the Good Soles Summer Project on gofundme.com.

Featured image of Lewis Wardale by Scott Robinson