STEP 38

38

Increase levels of volunteering

Our plan to address this step:
  • Deliver a borough wide volunteering strategy
  • Deliver an agile and fast paced COVID-19 Health Champions Programme
  • Build a long term, sustainable approach to the Community Health Champions Programme
Tracking progress:
  • Numbers of active volunteers
Who is involved:
  • Newham Council including community neighbourhoods
  • Voluntary, Community and Faith Sectors
  • University of East London
  • Birkbeck University

Can you help?

We rely on the support from organisations and individuals to help us deliver our goals. We are on the look out for more partners who are able to support this step. Please email [email protected] or [email protected] to find out more.

Now is the time to act. Together we can make Newham a healthier borough.

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Newham changemaker

Mike works from home as a counsellor and psychotherapist. Being well connected in his local community, he decided to volunteer as a COVID-19 Health Champion. The champions help Newham residents to remain up-to-date on the latest advice and guidance about the virus. The council supports and keeps in regular contact with the champions so they in turn can provide accurate and vital information to their family, friends and local communities.


“Newham has many different communities, and things work best when we all get on together and support each other. I don’t have any special role, but I just try to play my part in helping to maintain a thriving and active local area. Plus, it’s a really good feeling, knowing that you are a positive and active member of your local community.”

– Mike Shallcross, Psychotherapist, software developer and COVID-19 Health Champion


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Newham changemaker

Joanne is a governance and strategic human resource management professional, offering bespoke consultancy, training, development and interim management service solutions to education and charity sector clients. Joanne is also a COVID-19 Health Champion volunteer.


She is the Vice Chair of Newham Sixth Form College Corporation where she serves on the COVID-19 Task Finish Group. This has given her the opportunity to comment on the COVID-19 Risk Assessment and Action Plan, share intelligence

gleaned from the COVID-19 Champions Zoom meetings and link key players.


“As somebody who was born, educated, and has always lived in Newham, community and place are important to me. I had felt that as one individual, there was nothing that I could do about the pandemic but then I spotted an advertisement inviting residents to join together; be briefed on the Boroughs latest COVID-19 data,

plans, action; pool experiences; skills and ideas with the support of a professional facilitator. This gave me a vehicle through which I could contribute at a difficult time.”

– Joanne Dean, HR and Governance Management Consultant and COVID-19 Health Champion


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Newham changemaker

Phyllis is a retired nurse and one of our COVID-19 Health Champions. As a retired nurse, Phyllis has always had a keen interest in health and helping

others. Her role as a COVID-19 Health Champion enabled her to give back to the community and support residents at a challenging time.


“If everyone has a healthy lifestyle, it brings a healthy community. Only with good health can a community grow. I hope that as a COVID-19 Health Champion, I will have a positive impact on those around me.”

– Phyllis Grant, COVID-19 Health Champion


Contact us

Get in touch to find out how you can support the borough’s drive to be healthier.

We are on the look out for organisations and people in our community who are thinking differently, challenging the norms, trying new things and looking at ways they can help Newham be a healthier borough.

If you think you can help, we’d love to hear from you, email [email protected]

Follow our hashtag for #whatsyourstep