Over 3,000 Westminster residents supported to live healthier lives in 2024 through the Healthy Communities Fund

The Healthy Communities Fund (HCF) is a three-year initiative established in January 2024 to support organisations in the VCS to deliver culturally competent targeted health interventions in Westminster’s most deprived areas.

- Since its launch in January 2024, the Healthy Communities Fund has reached over 3,000 participants across Westminster with an average of 126 activities delivered per week.
- The £5 million fund aims to support Voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations to deliver culturally competent health interventions to prevent health conditions worsening or developing in the first place.
- Fund recipients ‘Middle Eastern Women’s Society’ helped participants to lose weight healthily, improve blood pressure and lower blood sugar levels through targeted health interventions.

The £5 million fund is part of the council’s wider prevention agenda and is a direct result of collaboration with residents and VCS partners. Fund recipients receive training commissioned by the council’s Public Health team to embed health promotion and health interventions by trusted organisations who know their communities well. While the fund aims to increase the capacity of these organisations, the training aims to provide sustainability so that fund recipients can continue to support community members for a long time.
In the last year the fund has helped to reach over 3,000 regular participants through an average of 126 activities per week.
Thanks to the incredible progress made by organisations funded by the HCF, the council has seen tangible health outcomes including weight loss, improved blood pressure and increased screening and vaccination uptake.
Fund recipients, Middle Eastern Women’s Society (MEWSO), delivered interventions with the support of the HCF aimed at improving physical health through healthy cooking classes, walking groups, and establishing peer support networks. As with all recipients, MEWSO’s interventions were delivered in response to identified health needs to ensure that they are targeted and relevant to the community they intend to reach.
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. With MEWSO’s support participants are being equipped with tools and knowledge to look after their health – the offer has become so popular that it now operates with a waiting list.
Aman Zanoon, the project manager at MEWSO said:
Since we launched our healthy cooking classes on 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. To manage this, we rotate participants weekly, with 12 women in each class, ensuring fairness and access for everyone.
One of the highlights of the project has been our recipe book, which till now contain 31 Middle Eastern dishes, presented in both traditional and healthier versions. Beyond the cooking, these classes have Inspired broader changes in our participants' lives. Many women have formed walking groups, shared progress and more healthy snacks and recipes in a WhatsApp group.
For example, Mayada, one of our participants, has lost 4kg over six months and has stabilised her blood pressure, while Najwa has reported a 2kg loss. Many others have shared similar successes, demonstrating that this initiative is more than just about cooking—it’s about life-changing improvements.
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 Healthy Communities Fund 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.
Further training will be rolled out in 2025 to ensure trusted organisations can continue to deliver commissioned services in the future, focusing on mental health, diabetes and hypertension.
The Healthy Communities Fund provide free activities designed to meet the needs of the local community. It is part of our #2035 initiative to promote healthy living in the borough.
Published: 29 January 2025