Community fund helps 3,000 residents improve health in 2024
More than 3,000 Westminster residents forged healthier lifestyles last year with help from the Healthy Communities Fund (HCF).
The HCF is a three-year initiative established in January 2024, which aims to support voluntary and community organisations to deliver health interventions in Westminster’s most deprived areas.
The £5million fund has delivered an average of 126 activities per week across the borough since its launch.
Fund recipients receive training commissioned by the council’s Public Health team. This aims to increase the orgnisations capacity and stability to ensure it can continue to serve the community.
Middle Eastern Women’s Society (MEWSO), used the HCF support to expand their healthy cooking classes, walking groups, and establish new peer support networks.
As with all recipients, MEWSO’s activities respond to identified health needs in the area to ensure they are targeted and relevant to the community.
Identified needs included support for residents with physical disabilities, translating traditional dishes into healthier recipes and difficulties with keeping physically active outside of fitness classes.
Aman Zanoon, project manager at MEWSO, said: “Since we launched our healthy cooking classes in Church Street, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The sessions became so popular that we now have a waiting list of women keen to join.
“Beyond the cooking, these classes have inspired broader changes in our participants’ lives.”
Across Westminster, the council said the HCF has produced health outcomes including weight loss, improved blood pressure and increased screening and vaccination uptake.
Further training will be rolled out in 2025 to ensure organisations can continue to deliver services in the future, focusing on mental health, diabetes and hypertension.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Voluntary Sector, Cllr Nafsika Butler-Thalassis said: “It’s amazing to see the progress that the HCF has made in just one year.
“We set up this fund in the council to increase the capacity of local grassroot community organisations because we know that they are best placed to serve the community, and we want to support them to increase their impact.
“To address health inequalities, it is essential to engage communities in activities they find interesting and enjoyable which have wider benefits, touching not only on healthy eating and physical activity but also on mental health and reducing isolation.”
Pictured top: HCF recipient programme Mix Munch plates up healthy food for children (Picture: Westminster council)