A foundation of working with communities
Leeds has a long and proud history of working with communities to improve the health of residents. Trusted partnerships built up over years of working together, investment in resources, and other community assets have enabled community-centred approaches to become established across the city.
In recent history, strong relationships with communities and VCFS organisations - particularly the Community Champions - were the foundation of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Leeds.
Vaccination centres in community locations improved uptake and reduced inequalities. For example, more than 50,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were delivered at the Bilal Centre vaccination clinic in Harehills. The Leeds Vaccination Bus allowed for a community outreach approach to deliver vaccinations within areas of low uptake, providing 4,146 vaccinations for 2,854 individuals. And the Leaving No-One Behind work programme was established to overcome inequalities in vaccination uptake through approaches including women-only sessions and workplace vaccination programmes.
We learned a great deal during the pandemic about our communities and the barriers they face in accessing healthcare. This learning continues to shape the way we work today.
It’s the basic principles of Community Development, starting where people are, rather than where you want them to be, going at their own pace, listening, and respecting what they say.
The family of community-centred approaches
In 2015, Public Health England published a national guide to community-centred approaches. It includes the family of community-centred approaches that provides practical ways to improve health and wellbeing in communities. It is a way of identifying evidence-based options that are also rooted in public health practice.
The family of community-centred approaches outlines 4 practical ways to improve health and wellbeing using community assets and strengths to give people more control over their health and lives:
- Strengthening communities: Communities use their assets and strengths to work together to improve health and address the factors that affect it
- Volunteer and peer roles: Communities build skills and confidence so they can share advice, give support, and organise health and wellbeing activities in their own communities
- Collaborations and partnerships: Bringing together communities and local services to identify needs and priorities, plan and deliver activity that keeps them healthy
- Access to community resources: Connecting people to practical help, group activities, and volunteering activities
(Source: Adapted from PHE (2015))
On the following pages we describe each area of the "family", with case studies of projects and approaches in Leeds. It is important to note that projects do not always fit neatly into just one of the 4 approaches, but can showcase multiple elements.
a) Strengthening communities
These approaches strengthen communities to take collective action which will improve health. Examples of activities in Leeds to strengthen communities include capacity building, community health development programmes, ABCD and community organising and social network activities.
Public health plays an important role in identifying where there are fewer opportunities for collective action for particular communities, and works in collaboration to strengthen them.
Case Study: Better Together – trusted community health development
Better Together is a community health development service, commissioned by Public Health. It works with communities to develop and design approaches together to improve health and wellbeing and reduce social isolation.
The service engages over 10% of residents in Leeds’ most deprived areas (around 20,000 people annually) through outreach in everyday settings – such as community galas, workplaces, and community centres. There are over 2,000 local group activities, which are shaped by community priorities and include cooking, physical activity, peer support, employment, education, and arts.
I love this group, I’ve made friends, it makes me so happy.
Better Together effectively engages with diverse communities at risk of significant health inequalities, including people who might not use services. Public Health teams work with Better Together providers, building on their insight and trusted relationships to develop approaches that will work in different communities. The difference it makes to people’s health is measured with validated methods.
Having welcoming spaces in communities is very important. It’s not just about the building - it needs to be a safe and warm place you want to go.
Better Together is delivered by grassroots organisations across Leeds: BARCA (West), Health for All, Asha, Holbeck Together, St Luke’s Cares (South), and Feel Good Factor, Shantona, Space 2, and Touchstone (East). These groups reflect and respond to local needs.
Today I have a doctor’s appointment, for the first time I am now going to go without an interpreter because I can go myself and understand.
Case Study: Neighbourhood networks - supporting people to live independently in their communities
Across Leeds, 34 locally-led Neighbourhood Networks support older peoples’ health, independence and community participation by providing a range of healthy living and social activities. Between April and June 2025 there were 103,172 instances of people attending the 751 activities.
Neighbourhood Networks increase social contact, reducing isolation and loneliness. They provide a range of healthy living activities, so that older people can maintain their independence, which also keeps them healthy. Network members spot if people’s health declines, helping them to get support early and reduce the need for health and care service interventions.
Armley Helping Hands (AHH) is a Neighbourhood Network in Armley, one of the most deprived wards in the city, with health challenges including healthy living (inactivity, overweight and drinking at higher risk levels), A&E admissions for falls, frailty, and social isolation.
Dawn Newsome, the CEO from AHH, talks with pride about the support, friendship and trust:
“Last year we provided activities including peer support and education to manage long term conditions (we reached 1,300 people), support with food and nutrition (962 people), support around cost of living and finances (549 people) and one to one support and advice (161 people). We provided transport to ensure members can access sessions.”
b) Volunteer and peer roles
Volunteer and peer approaches enable people to use their skills and life experiences to support others in their community. These roles are usually taken on by local residents, who receive appropriate training and support. When support comes from people with shared experiences or identities, it can help break down barriers and build trust. Peer and volunteer roles include community health champions, befriending schemes, care navigators and peer supporters.
Many volunteers across Leeds contribute to health and wellbeing in their communities. Public Health supports people to become peer supporters or volunteers, with a focus on making sure people from different backgrounds and with different experiences have opportunities to take on these roles.
Thank you to Armley Helping Hands for helping me see the light at the end of the tunnel, I was so negative on life when I first met the team, they have opened so many doors for me and given me back my independence and to have a meaning in life.
Case Study: Migrant Community Networkers – trusted links between communities and services
Migrant Community Networkers are volunteers from migrant communities in Leeds who act as trusted links to services.
The network is hosted by the Migrant Access Project team in Leeds City Council, in partnership with Public Health and Leeds Health Awareness. Migrant Community Networkers share key health messages on topics such as vaccination, healthy living, long-term conditions and cancer. Networkers receive small grants to run workshops and share information creatively within their communities.
In 2024, 13 Networkers from countries including Eritrea, Jamaica, Iraq, Nigeria and Syria delivered 16 events on cancer and heart disease in 9 languages, reaching at least 372 people. Networkers with shared backgrounds and languages were able to develop trust and hold conversations on sensitive topics through creative activities.
Feedback showed attendees felt more informed and motivated about risks, symptoms, and the importance of health checks and screening. Networkers also reported benefits to themselves, including increased confidence and experience for job applications.
I never realised that catching cancer early could make such a difference. I’ll definitely go for my screening now.
Case Study: Drug and alcohol peer support – bringing lived experience to champion and support recovery
Leeds is part of an international movement of Inclusive Recovery Cities which increase the visibility of recovery, reduce stigma, and give hope to those struggling with addiction and their families.
Peer-led recovery activities take place across the city, supported by Public Health. The 5 Ways Recovery Hub (part of Forward Leeds, the city’s drug and alcohol service) is a vibrant community offering peer support and activities to challenge boredom and promote social connection. Independent peer-led recovery organisations such as Getting Clean CIC, Sober Butterflies, and Recovery Runners, run a wide range of activities such as running, climbing, soap making, community clean-ups, and gardening.
Recovery communities build social connection and a sense of community, provide support, enable people to have fun and develop skills, enhance feelings of self-worth, and prevent relapse 41. Volunteers and peers share important life experiences, so they can understand, inspire and support others on treatment and recovery journeys.
In the last 6 months, Getting Clean CIC has made 6,000 bars of soap, with 150 volunteers (of which 6 were employed), with positive recovery and broader health impacts.
Getting involved gave me purpose and built my confidence, whilst building a support network of friends in recovery.
c) Collaborations and partnerships
When we work in partnership with communities and local organisations, we hear important ideas and information from different groups and sources. This helps us work in an effective, inclusive way so that services are better aligned with local needs, and decisions are informed by community insight.
The Public Health team recently completed assessments of the health needs and assets in neighbourhoods in the city in collaboration with local communities. These assessments bring together data and evidence on health with the voices of community members, including ideas for solutions. This in turn informs partnership work to improve health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities.
The case studies on the next page show how collaborative working in Leeds supports joined-up approaches to health.
Case Study: Local Care Partnerships – joined up, holistic care in communities
(Accessibility - from the Performance Ensemble; picture courtesy of Phil Green).
Local Care Partnerships (LCPs) are partnerships between the NHS, Leeds City Council, VCFS organisations and elected members. People work together across organisations to deliver joined-up, collaborative care that meets the needs of local communities.
There are 15 LCPs covering the whole of the city, tailored to local community needs and characteristics. Some examples of LCP work include:
- An LCP in East Leeds identified domestic violence and abuse as a priority and took a "whole neighbourhood approach" to addressing it. Activities completed include a theatre production attended by 300 young people, training on domestic violence and abuse and honour-based violence, training of 31 domestic violence and abuse ambassadors in the community, and a range of workshops and lunch and learn sessions.
- An LCP in Inner West Leeds identified healthy eating for families as a local priority and developed fun, free local community projects to support families in inner city areas, including family cooking clubs and courses to cook healthy, affordable meals at home. An LCP in North East Leeds developed whole workforce training to improve confidence in supporting people around healthy eating.
Case Study: The Listening Project – listening to communities across the city
In 2024, Leeds Community Anchor Network organisations conducted community listening activities in all wards of the city, with additional activities in the areas with the highest levels of deprivation.
Listening exercises provide the opportunity to hear from local communities on what they value about where they live, what they see as strengths and assets in the community, and ideas for changes, including:
- What’s great about your area?
- How could it be better?
- What could it look like in 10 years?
A total of 1,958 people completed a postcard exercise and 529 took part in focus groups. Most responses were positive, with people saying they valued strong community spirit, green spaces, and local community organisations and activities. Priorities identified included community safety, improving parks and green spaces, youth activities, transport and cleaner streets (27).
Findings are being used to shape how local organisations work with communities, including supporting communities to take action themselves based on understanding of local needs and strengths.
“One of the most beautiful findings in The Listening Project is the love - the genuine, powerful love - that people in Leeds have for their communities. Again and again, we heard about strength, about pride, about deep connections. People told us what they value most about where they live, and it turns out there is so much to celebrate.”
Howard Bradley (2)
Listening project feedback - "What’s great about your area?"
Armley
- Community spirit and togetherness
- Green spaces
- Community activities
- Educational facilities
Burmantofts and Richmond Hill
- Community spirit and togetherness
- Green spaces
- Community activities
- Proximity to town
Holbeck
- Community spirit and togetherness
- Local charities/organisations
- Community spaces
- Community activities
Beeston
- Community spaces
- Community spirit and togetherness
- Green spaces
- Diversity
Gipton
- Green spaces
- Community spirit and togetherness
- Shopping
- Transport
Harehills
- Healthcare
- Local charities/organisations
- Religious buildings
- Educational facilities
Hunslet and Riverside
- Community spirit and togetherness
- Local charities/organisations
- Diversity
- Green spaces
Killingbeck and Seacroft
- Community spirit and togetherness
- Green spaces
- Local charities/organisations
- Shopping
d) Access to community assets
Not all communities have the same access to community assets that can improve health and wellbeing. Even where strong community assets exist, some people may face barriers to access them, including lack of information, confidence, transport or trust.
This is why we have established approaches to connect people to community assets and practical help, such as community hubs, community navigators and social prescribing.
Evidence shows that trusted roles can help people to connect to local assets. For example, Community Health and Wellbeing Workers are trained peers who build relationships, offer support, and help people access health services, with positive outcomes including increase in cancer screening and vaccination rates (42).
Public Health has an important role to understand where people face barriers to accessing community assets, and to work with communities to remove these barriers so people can get the support they need. This can include investing in local infrastructure and developing assets such as libraries and community anchors that support connection.
Partnership with community organisations to support groups who face extreme health inequalities
Public Health works in close partnership with community organisations to support people facing extreme health inequalities to ensure that they benefit from services in Leeds.
The following 3 case studies - with the Gypsy and Traveller community, rough sleepers, and women who are sex working - show how different community partnership approaches can support different groups.
Case Study: Health and wellbeing support with the Gypsy and Traveller community
Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (GATE) is a trusted local organisation who work for and represent the needs of the Gypsy and Traveller community. The GATE Health and Wellbeing service is commissioned by Public Health. It offers group sessions on topics chosen by members, such as isolation and loneliness, and provides support with accessing health services. Sessions are often creative, for example making healthy food or flower arranging. Some of the GATE members have become Health Champions and deliver sessions themselves to support their peers. Training is provided to help develop new skills and interests, which they then share with the group.
There were 656 instances of Gypsy and Travellers attending GATE during 2024-2025. Participants reported improved mental wellbeing, feeling less isolated and an enhanced sense of belonging.
I didn’t take the role as a Health Champion serious at first but then when I started getting more involved, I could see my skills improving and my confidence. This helped me to apply for a role that came up and to get the job. I can now see how having some involvement even if it’s only small can really make a difference and leads on to further opportunities.
Case Study: Drug and alcohol support for rough sleepers
The Rough Sleepers Team (part of the Forward Leeds drug and alcohol service) provides rapid access to drug and alcohol treatment and links people to wider health and practical support. They build relationships and work in a way that is sensitive to the traumas that people may have experienced.
In 2024/25 the team supported 119 people in Leeds. GW, a 54-year-old man, lived with addiction for over 40 years. He connected with the Rough Sleepers team after he was released from prison. He completed drug detox and rehab and now lives in permanent housing in Scarborough, volunteers in a charity shop, and shares his story with people in Leeds to support and inspire them. GW shared a photo of himself enjoying ice cream on the beach.
Case Study: Support for women who are sex working in Leeds
Basis Leeds provides health care and support for women who are sex working in Leeds, focusing on those most at risk, commissioned by Public Health and other partners. They provide support in the places where women live, working from a van and trusted community locations. They work with the Leeds Sexual Health service to provide condoms, vaccination, screening and treatment, along with wider support on housing, finances, drugs and other issues. Basis worked with 271 people last year, many of whom never access other services and support in the city.
The team develops trusted relationships that are non-judgemental and sensitive to trauma that people have faced. Women have a choice over how they are supported and control over the changes they want to make in their lives. They tap into the interests, skills, and experience of the women to improve confidence and support people to enter training, volunteering or employment.
Case Study: Linking Leeds - social prescribing transforms care to address the root causes of poor health
(Real Community Clean Up Armley; picture courtesy of Getting Clean - Chris Sylvester).
Linking Leeds connects people to activities and support in their community and reduces demand for medical appointments. It is a vital part of the city’s health and care system, commissioned by the Integrated Care Board and delivered by a consortium of VCFS organisations. It offers time and support to anyone aged 16+, anywhere in the city, including those not registered with a GP. It works alongside social prescribers employed by GP surgeries.
When people use the service, they work with a wellbeing co-ordinator to develop a plan, which takes a holistic view of the person to address things such as social isolation, housing and financial stress that can affect people’s health. Wellbeing co-ordinators have deep local knowledge and relationships with VCFS and statutory partners, which makes them uniquely positioned to support people holistically.
A recent evaluation found that people significantly reduced health service use, including a 92% probability that someone will attend the GP less frequently, after receiving support from Linking Leeds, after receiving support from Linking Leeds 44. Improvements are seen for all age groups using validated measures, with the greatest gains in younger people, those from deprived areas, and women.
