Putting healthy lifestyles at the heart of the community
A special health and wellbeing event aimed at people from the South Asian community was held at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara and Sikh Cultural Centre in Stoke on Friday 14th November.
The event brought together about 50 members of the local Sikh community and healthcare partners to raise awareness of cancer prevention, promote NHS screening programmes, and provide information on everything from diabetes to menopause and healthy lifestyles.
The Community Health Champions Project helped to broker communications around the planning and delivery of the event which was attended by professional teams from the University Hospitals of the North Midlands NHS Trust including Cancer Screening Services and the Population Health Team.
Sadaf Butt, UHNM Organisational Development Consultant, said: “By working closely with faith groups and local leaders, we can ensure that everyone has access to life-saving information and services in a trusted and familiar environment.
“This event reflects UHNM’s continued commitment to working with communities to ensure better health outcomes for all. By bringing services into the heart of local communities, we can break down barriers and make healthcare more accessible and inclusive.”
Claire Cotton, Director of Governance added: “I’m really keen to understand alternative ways of engaging with our population, understanding what the communication needs are and how we might forge and strengthen partnerships with charities, organisations and community leaders.”
Speaking on behalf of the Gudwara, Rasandeep Devgon said: “We wanted to focus on a lot of the health problems we have in our community and ensure we do highlight those health inequalities.”
“Usually we’re the ones visiting the doctors or the hospital. Bringing that here in the Gurdwara, that’s not only a place of worship, but a community hub in and of itself, is beneficial.”
The event at the Gurdwara paved the way for a second Women’s Flu Vaccination Event which took place at the City Centre Mosque in December.
