Healthy Futures: Connecting Communities to Care

Now entering Year 3, Health Heroes Unite has already supported over 2,100 individuals across Enfield, delivering practical, community-led solutions to some of the borough’s deepest health inequalities. Launched in 2023, the project builds on work by the Eastern European Hub and #WhatIf initiatives, recognising that good health is fundamental to family life—but not equally accessible to all.

Many residents we work with are still not registered with a GP or dentist, use the NHS only in emergencies, or travel abroad for care. Health Heroes Unite is changing that by bringing health into the heart of the community.

Our Approach So Far

Over the past two years, we’ve worked in close collaboration with schools, youth services, VCSE partners, and local healthcare providers to deliver:

• Over 1,500 attendees at school and community-based health events
• Pop-up health hubs reaching 349 residents in neighbourhoods like Edmonton Green and Ponders End
• Workshops and youth programmes engaging 254 young people, including care leavers, LGBTQ+ youth, and young carers
• Targeted outreach to Black, Asian, Eastern European and other underserved communities

One standout youth project, Displaced, was co-created with Eastern European teenagers. Through theatre, they explored mental health, migration, and identity—building confidence, emotional expression, and long-term peer support networks.

Year 3: Building on What Works

In Year 3, we’re deepening our impact with a sharpened focus on preventative care, mental wellbeing, and youth leadership—while continuing to break down barriers to healthcare access in Enfield’s most deprived areas (including Edmonton Green, Upper/Lower Edmonton, Haselbury, Turkey Street, and Ponders End).

Key features of this phase include:

• Health hubs for adults and youth offering culturally responsive services
• Community pop-ups with on-site GP registration, ENT, sexual health, and mental health support
• Culturally Tuned Mental Wellness Circles in schools
• Youth-led digital campaigns, like This is My Health
• Ongoing consultation with targeted communities to shape future service design
• Peer mentoring and youth voice steering groups

Community Chest Fund

In previous years, our Community Chest Fund has empowered residents, schools, and grassroots groups to lead their own health initiatives—from fitness sessions and mental health workshops to culturally tailored wellbeing events.

As we move into Year 3, the fund will be more limited, reflecting a shift in focus. Thanks to the growing impact and visibility of Health Heroes Unite, many local organisations and services are now co-producing their own health-focused events—with our support and involvement.

This year, we’ll continue to invest in select, high-impact projects that promote prevention, healthy behaviours, and social connection—while putting greater emphasis on partnership-led delivery and collaborative programming that grows the Health Heroes Unite movement beyond our own events.