4 July 2025

We recently celebrated the achievements of the Healthy Hearts: Haringey Resident Fund project, which is funded by Haringey Council, at Chestnuts Community Centre.

Over the last fifteen months, 23 heart health champions (Resident Providers) from across Haringey have supported 432 residents to lead healthier lives. Each of whom had been selected by a panel of community members and workers to help improve the heart health of residents in Haringey. 

Working with council services, One You Haringey, and Haringey Walks, Resident Providers have helped people access these services, but crucially, encouraged residents to stay engaged with them, leading to many positive health outcomes. 

The majority of Resident Providers chose to lead walking groups, whilst others organised health checks, supported residents in weight management courses or smoking cessation groups, or helped residents join physical activity sessions.

It was a powerful and inspiring evening. The project commissioner, Bezuayehu Gubay from Haringey Council, began by thanking everyone involved in the project and shared the exciting way the pilot project's success could pave the way for more programmes like this.

Sara, the project coordinator, then spoke about her appreciation and joy of working with the Resident Providers, emphasising the vital part that creating connections and social support played in the project's success. The audience also heard from Claire, one of the external evaluators, who outlined the key factors that contributed to the project's success. 

The highlight of the evening was hearing from one of the Resident Providers, Rosemary, about how she had set up a walking group at her church. She shared how she had expected around 20 people but couldn't believe it when more and more people kept coming through the door, culminating in 50 people signing up for her walks.  The walkers ranged in age from 36 to 96 years old, with one 85-year-old participant never missing a walk! She was also in the fast group!  Rosemary shared that the walks not only improved people's physical health but also gave them a newfound sense of confidence.  

Her final remarks sum up the power of the programme:

"This programme has saved, without a doubt, the NHS a significant amount of money. It is a wonderful programme. "

The evening concluded with the Resident Providers being presented with certificates by Sarah Hart, the Chief Commissioner at Haringey Council, to honour the fantastic achievements they had made.