Westminster City Council – Homepage

Westminster Virtual Reality

Background

In 2021, we launched the Virtual Reality for Relaxation and Wellbeing (VR-RAW) programme, a pioneering initiative that explored the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) technology to promote the wellbeing of inner London communities impacted by serious youth violence. 

Through eight main projects, each running for a time period of between six to 12 weeks, we collaborated with 121 participants from diverse groups in a range of settings including youth clubs, community centres and alternative educational provisions.  

The programme saw high levels of engagement, and its flexible, community-led approach was associated with several positive outcomes including:  

  • increased engagement with Westminster City Council services 
  • improved understanding of serious youth violence-related issues 
  • the promotion of community well-being, cohesion and emotional regulation.  

In addition to the in-depth programmes, over the past four years, over 3500 community members have accessed VR through one-off community events such as street parties, community fayres and local events. 

Image of two girls wearing and using a virtual reality headset
Image of a child wearing a virtual reality headset
Image of a girl relaxing whilst wearing a virtual reality headset

Read our full report

What we are doing now

Following the success of the VR-RAW programme, we are introducing the Westminster VR Service. This new initiative builds on our achievements and expands the use of VR technology to support communities affected by serious youth violence. 

Our key focus areas include: 

  • strengthening community engagement by using VR to foster connection, promote wellbeing, and build cohesion through one-off community events and more comprehensive, long-term programmes. 
  • undertaking evaluations to better understand the impact of our work and refine our approach
  • sharing our expertise through toolkits and workshops to help other councils and organisations incorporate VR into their community support strategies

We are actively seeking partners and collaborators to help us move this work forward. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming involved.

Who do I contact for more information? 

Please email the Westminster Virtual Reality team: westminstervr@westminster.gov.uk(link sends email)