Community Champions

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Information on our Kensington and Chelsea Community Champions projects.

The Community Champions programme

Community Champions are neighbourhood-based volunteers who work in the community to promote health and well-being. They are led by professionally trained project leads in community settings.

Video: Bi-borough Community Champions Presents Building Healthier Communities Together

Transcript of this video

(00:06) When we work all together actually we becomes more stronger. So it's an absolute honour to stand before a room full of change makers. Welcome everyone to this 13th annual community champions and maternity champions conference. I think the champions bring a sense of reality and practicality to everyday health and wellbeing.

(00:36) I think they reach communities that we may struggle to from the bigger organisations such as local authority or the NHS. I have shared information about flu vaccination, mental health, and healthy eating. And I have seen how this information makes a real difference. With more time on my hands, I decided to give back to my community.

(00:56) Community champions and the maternity champions have been instrumental in helping our communities access NHS dentists. I work very closely with our local GP practices. Um and they have very close links with the community champions. They report back about the real change that they see in people's lives.

(01:15) Healthy communities depend on people knowing each other making connections, feeling confident, and community champions do that. The work you do every day, promoting health, uh connecting our communities, tackling inequalities, building trust is not just remarkable, it's lif saving. People like community champions come in, they share those bits of information from trusted sources in ways that people are able to relate to.

(01:49) Creating partnership is very important part of the maternity and community champions project. And an opportunity like this for many people to meet and network is very useful. By collaborating with local organisations, residents, health care providers such as Besper Family Hub, the NHS and grassroots community groups.

(02:11) We can create a network of support that empowers individuals and families. I am working with a lot of people [including the] NHS, council. They have a lot of activities for the adult people. I think when you're able to pull so many people doing great things together, that's the real power. Community connectors, our community champions are incredibly helpful and essential in how we build partnerships across health and care going forward. And become the bedrock of neighbourhood health as we see it in the future.

(02:45) I want to send out my enormous thanks uh for everything that you guys do. The evolution of the community champions over the last 13 years has been really impressive to see. They are now vital partners in a network uh that is delivering real public health improvements across Westminster and beyond.

(03:04) This year, Kensington and Chelsea got outstanding for our CQC, our care quality commission inspectio. Which means we are one of the best in the entire country for the adult social care and health we provide in RBKC. And that is down to you as well. The community and maternity champions work really closely with our partners throughout uh Kensington Chelsea. And that could be things like the NHS, NHS Trust, GP services, but also through other services pointing people in the right direction.

(03:32) So people like citizens advice can help out with that but also council services too. Working towards the qualification has made me feel more independent, confident and allowed me to learn, grow and turn my passion into a career. Enabled women and men to come through education and training and develop skills and take those skills through into the workforce.

(03:55) And I'm so proud that we are now employing people who started off as community champions in the councils and also in the wider NHS and care system. So what we want from residents, what we want from you, we want you to be informed and engaged. We want you to use your voice. There's a lot of power within the community and I think a lot of residents don't realise their power.

(04:17) The agendas that the community champions programs tries to deliver is the agenda of local people and communities. And the impact of that goes beyond what the public health,  what the partners, what the health and care organisations commission. Because what communities really deliver are far beyond any impact that we assume within our system.

(04:40) More people should know of what you do so that more people can feel the inspiration uh and the warmth that you bring to people's lives. More people working together, collaborating, working in partnership has to be the way forward for all of us. Our community health and well-being worker apprenticeship scheme has received national recognition. HSJ Awards 2025 [Music]

 

Why Community Champions Matter

The Community and Maternity Champions programme is one of London’s longest running community-led health initiatives, running for more than 13 years.

Local residents volunteer as “Champions,” using their language, cultural knowledge, and personal relationships to:

  • share important health and wellbeing information
  • connect neighbours with local services
  • run or support activities in community spaces
  • reduce social isolation and build a sense of belonging
  • support parents and families with specialist advice (Maternity Champions)

The programme is based on a strength-based approach: using the ideas, experiences and skills that already exist within communities.

Interested in becoming a Community Champion? Get in touch with us by emailing [email protected]

The Champions:

  • run health campaigns
  • run community fun days
  • run weekly activity groups
  • link residents with local services in order to create a social movement for health from the ground up, led by local action

What our champions do

Video: Kensington and Chelsea Community and Maternity Champions 2021-22

Transcript of this video

(00:10) So as an introvert going out and meeting new people can be quite daunting but this has given me the chance to be able to do that and my son has flourished. Today I'm in the drop in session helping the maternity champions with the parents and babies. Lovely place. Everybody enjoys it. Fabulous get together of older men.
(00:41) Uh mental health is good from it and the social aspect as well. Welcome to our community kitchen. What's kept me um coming back to the community events is the people. They're really friendly which makes your depression go away and it just keeps you going. I enjoy the community lunch. Yeah, it's very good. I love all the energy around here.
(01:03) Beautiful because a lot of people they are isolate and feel lonely. So this is why we bring all the community to have a beautiful event. Enjoy. The secret of the success I think of our activities such as the breakfast club today that we're doing is I think just welcoming people happy and friendly today actually we have a Zumba and it's the first time that we had a 30 people and it's just amazing.
(01:33) Oh, it's just been amazing isn't it? Yeah. My husband's been quite ill for a few years. He's got something called normal pressure hydro care for us. So we've been indoors quite a lot and nothing in integrated and since we've started coming here together he's really opened up and I think you know have you felt better? Yeah.
(01:51) Feeling better? Yeah. Feel much better. Hi everyone. I've been diagnosed for a breast cancer and the benefit for this uh yoga is my energetic is really strong. My husband died and I just locked myself in the house. Somebody suggested this center to come here and it makes a lot of difference in my life.
(02:22) Today I'm at the Delano Center. They're doing massages. They're doing walking football. They're doing activities. They have a guest speakers speaking about men's health. I feel fitter, trimmer, more toned, beneficial to me health-wise, socially. I have a program that spans all ages, um, all abilities.
(02:50) Um, one of them is musical theater. It's a great program that allows the youth in the local area to come to learn to be creative, be expressive, um develop their confidence, um and to let them know that there is a career in in the arts. So in here we have a 26 activities. Yes, 26 table actually in here supporting the dementia event this uh today.
(03:14) My husband, he passed away and he had dementia. So I know what to do. Darling, darling. I come to these classes once a week to help me to regain some mobility and that what I lost due to having a small stroke last year. Today I cook in pasta with the tuna with the vision.
(03:45) You'll learn something about someone's tradition, their culture, um you know, just little different ways of how they live. There's no judgment and everyone can mingle and come together as one. I bring the skills of digital champion. I want to all my champions to know how to use NHS app. We at Greenspot Community Council really love working with the champions.
(04:07) We run an evening activity class for uh working age people which is yoga and other activities and they're actually launching a new women's self-defense project. We work very closely with Lena um she manages the community and maternity champions here in Westborne. It's brilliant working in that way um in partnership with them.
(04:29) For example, we recently this year got um the healthy communities funding and we work together on classes here such as the baby sing and sign class which happens on a Monday morning. This is my window and the colors, textures within the window represents the diversity of our community. But whatever happens, it's all good.
(04:49) It's meant to be. It's all poetry. Hi, we are giving out pre-loved items to the local resident who might be in need. We also are collaborating with environmentally friendly baby swap shop with clothes and we're also collaborating with a seamstress who is sewing items for free for the community. Arm, shoulders.
(05:21) I had a stroke and this exercise class has really helped me get moving again. I'm on my way to 92, so I hope it keeps me going for a few more years.

Community Champions Impact – 2023 to 2025

We looked at the difference the Community and Maternity Champions programmes have made for residents in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea between 2023 and 2025. A summary of the report is below but please email us if you’d like us to send you the full report: [email protected]

What we found – activity in Kensington and Chelsea 

Over two years, Champions collectively enabled:

  • 15,549  hours of volunteering
  • 4,769 regular activity sessions
  • 62,304 resident attendances
  • 89.4% of residents felt a stronger sense of belonging
  • 87.5% reported improved health satisfaction 
  • 83% reported increased trust in health and care services

Champions speak more than 45 languages, helping them reach residents who might not otherwise access support.

How Champions benefit local residents

Residents reported that Champions made a difference in several important ways:

Better health knowledge

Champions help people understand health information, live more healthily, and feel more confident managing their wellbeing.

Stronger social connections

Activities bring people together, reduce loneliness, and help residents build friendships and support networks.

Improved mental wellbeing

Both residents and Champions benefit from feeling valued, connected and supported.

More confidence and control

Champions help people navigate services, advocate for themselves, and overcome barriers such as language or digital exclusion.

Financial support

Champions often help residents find ways to save money, apply for benefits, or access cheaper food and essential items.

How Champions support the wider health and care system

Champions don’t just help individuals—they help services too. Their work contributes to:

Prevention and early support

They spot issues early, help residents before problems escalate, and reduce unnecessary demand on GP and hospital services.

More culturally responsive services

Champions’ insights help councils, the NHS and voluntary groups better understand what different communities need.

More efficient use of resources

The programme strengthens partnerships between neighbourhood groups, council teams and the NHS, improving coordination and saving resources.

Recommendations 

To build on the programme’s success, recommendations include:

  • keep the programme rooted in the community, preserving its grassroots identity even as demands on it grow.
  • strengthen financial and strategic stability, particularly if the programme is to grow or expand into new areas.
  • improve information sharing, so insights from Champions can better influence decision making across the councils.
  • encourage stronger partnerships, especially with Neighbourhood Health Teams, Community Hubs, Family Hubs, GPs, and voluntary services.
  • explore whether Champions could help tackle emerging issues, such as food poverty, housing pressures, digital exclusion, and support for men.

In summary

The 2023 to 2025 report shows that the Community Champions:

  • are trusted local residents who use their lived experience to help others
  • deliver thousands of hours of support each year
  • improve health, wellbeing, connection and confidence across communities
  • reduce pressure on stretched health and care services
  • are valued by residents, councils, and the NHS

The programme has a long record of positive impact and remains a vital part of supporting community wellbeing in both boroughs.

Community Champions Programme Managers

Chelsea

Samuel Lewis, Sutton Dwellings and Wilshire Close estates, hosted by SMART London

Dalgarno

Five Dalgarno 'wedge' estates, hosted by Dalgarno Trust

Earl's Court

SW5 and SW10, hosted by SMART London

Golborne

Wornington Green and Swinbrook estates, hosted by Venture Community Association

Kensington and Chelsea Maternity Champions

Borough Manager, hosted by Venture Community Association

Notting Dale

Lancaster West, Silchester East and West and Bramley House estates, hosted by the Volunteer Centre Kensington and Chelsea

World’s End and Cremorne

World’s End and Cremorne estates, hosted by Chelsea Theatre.

Last updated: 14 May 2026