Tower Hamlets Healthy Borough Programme
[Wendy Sugarman, Company Director of WSA Community Consultants has been the Interim Community Engagement Manager for the Tower Hamlets Healthy Borough Programme from February 2009 through to January 2010.]
WSA Community Consultants has been putting some of its
key strengths in community engagement and development into action for Tower
Hamlets’ Borough and residents, through the Tower Hamlets Healthy Borough
Programme.
The only London Borough to be awarded ‘healthy town’ status, and one of just eight other ‘healthy towns’ nationally, Tower Hamlets is part of the Government’s ‘Change 4 Life’ initiative. This aims to transform it into a place that:
“promotes and supports health and well being and makes it easier for children, families and the wider community to be more physically active, eat well and maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives”
Community engagement is a key part of ensuring the scheme is relevant and sustainable. Wendy Sugarman has written a community engagement strategy to reflect this. Key objectives have been to embed community engagement within the wider Healthy Borough Programme projects and themes, community leadership and consultation with the diverse communities in Tower Hamlets. Initiatives include establishing a community engagement forum and identifying good practice models for focused work.
In terms of developing community leadership, WSA Community Consultants work has been to design and roll out a £660,000 grants programme. The programme encourages grassroots community-based projects to address environmental aspects of physical activity and healthy eating. Funding has been made available for informal and larger projects, for a diverse range of community and voluntary organisations, including faith groups and tenants associations, and some individuals and community groups. Examples of initiatives include food co-ops, food growing projects in estates, and improvement to open spaces.
All of the work has been as part of the interim Healthy Borough Programme team and forms part of the core work of the Healthy Borough Programme.