Liverpool City Council launches community champions health programme

Liverpool City Council’s Public Health team is proud to announce the funding of ten community organisations over the next three years as part of its new Community Champions programme.

This initiative is aimed at addressing health inequalities, with a particular focus on the city’s more deprived communities and underserved groups. The programme comes in response to the findings from the landmark Public Health Liverpool State of Health 2040 report, which highlighted the future burden of ill health in the city if major interventions are not implemented.

The report projects that by 2040, without action:

Over a quarter of residents’ lives (26.1%) will be spent in ill health
The number of adults experiencing depression could double
Those living in the most deprived areas are likely to spend more years in ill health
4,000 more minority ethnic adults could be living with major illness

Building on the success of the Covid-19 Community Champions model, this new programme will amplify the voices of underserved communities and address health needs informed by lived experiences. Ensuring that these voices are heard is essential to achieving the goals set out in the State of Health 2040 report.

In phase one of the programme, the ten funded community organisations will work closely with the Public Health team to offer community leadership and influence, develop capacity within local groups and cascade health and wellbeing messages that are accessible and culturally relevant.

These organisations will engage in direct outreach, gathering feedback from their communities to co-design solutions that tackle health barriers, build trust and confidence in health providers, and empower people to support one another. By working in partnership with Public Health, the awareness-raising programme aims to reduce barriers to healthcare engagement and improve accessibility to services.

The ten successful organisations, who will each receive £30,000 each year for three years, are:

Chinese Wellbeing
Daisy Inclusive
First Person CIC
Granby Toxteth Development Trust
Irish Community Care
Liverpool Arabic Centre
Liverpool Lighthouse
Merseyside Polonia
Merseyside Refugee Support Network
Refugee Women Connect

Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health for Liverpool, said:

“The Community Champions Programme is an essential step forward in reducing health inequalities across our city. By working directly with communities, we can better understand the challenges people face and co-create solutions that will make a real difference to their health and wellbeing. The findings of the State of Health 2040 report highlight the urgency of this work, and we are proud to support organisations that are trusted and embedded within the communities they serve.”

Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle, said:

“Our goal is to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to health and wellbeing in Liverpool. The Community Champions Programme is a vital part of this effort, allowing us to engage with and empower underserved communities. By investing in local organisations that understand the unique needs of these communities, we can break down barriers to health and improve quality of life for everyone in our city.”

Matty Caine, Founder and CEO of First Person CIC, said:

“As a dedicated mental health organisation, we are deeply grateful to Liverpool City Council for their decision to award us funding via the Community Champions Programme.

This essential funding allows us to expand our socially focused approach; we emphasise the role of the individual and their wider community in all matters relating to health and well-being. At First Person Project CIC, we believe people have the most significant impact on their health and happiness. By targeting Public Health Liverpool’s identified areas of focus, we are committed to reducing health inequalities, improving health, and enhancing the quality of life across our city. With this support, we are excited to drive meaningful change and help people across our communities lead healthier, happier lives.”