Event to celebrate work of Sheffield Community Champions
The Sheffield Community Champion programme was established to empower and support communities across the city to stay up to date with the latest advice about Covid-19.
Funded by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government through Sheffield City Council and coordinated by SOAR Community, the programme works with 11 fantastic VCS organisations – Aspiring Communities Together, Darnall Wellbeing, Firvale Community Hub, Flower Estate Family Action, Heeley Trust, Longley 4 Greens, SACMHA, Sharrow Community Forum, The Terminus, SOAR and Zest.
About our champions
Community Champions are active people within their communities who have health chats with family, friends and the wider community. Champions are given training and a chance to ask questions of the experts and share feedback into the realities of local health issues.
The Community Champion celebration event was all about the volunteers! While many choose to volunteer selflessly and without expectation of being recognised or rewarded, the event did just that. The champions matter and make a difference. Their generous time since the programme started back in April 2021 has had a profound and lasting impact on Sheffield communities.
Sudki Eidaroos, Aspiring Communities Together Community Champion, said: "The work we have championed during the pandemic has helped so many people in the community. I am proud to be a community champion in Sheffield."
There have been close to 25,000 conversations across the city, sharing factual, safe health messages specifically, but not only, about Covid-19. The feedback Community Champions share from family, friends and the wider community activates change, influences systems and makes the community voice heard.
The event was a chance for Community Champions to meet and share stories and for them to speak with Voluntary Community Sector leads.
Lucy Halstead, Community Champion for Sharrow Community Forum, said: “As a Champion, the sharing of experiences of accessing healthcare treatment can be very valuable; hearing what has worked and where services are available. Even the negative experiences are useful to share and be heard, hopefully in these spaces we can offer mutual support and begin to find solutions. It is in these gentle conversations that important issues come to light and the Community Champions programme allows a structure to be able to reflect these very real problems back to healthcare officials to be better able to address them.”
The celebration was hosted at Sheffield Central Library, the perfect spot to celebrate a community project with food from Zooby’s, from the Winter Garden. Over fifty champions were able to attend, and they were joined by Lorraine Wood, Head of Community at Sheffield City Council and Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Colin Ross.
Aisha, Community Champion for Zest, talking about the celebration event said: “I’ve been volunteering for 21 years and this is the first time I’ve felt recognised.”
Rose Batty, SOAR Community and Programme Coordinator, said: “A big shout out to the fantastic VCS leads – Aspiring Communities Together, Darnall Wellbeing, Firvale Community Hub, Flower Estate Family Action, Heeley Trust, Longley 4 Greens, SACMHA, Sharrow Community Forum, The Terminus, SOAR and Zest. Their expertise & passion for community development is also recognised, appreciated, valued & cherished.”
SOAR, which was contracted by Sheffield City Council, to coordinate the Sheffield Community Champion Project, is a community regeneration charity that provides a range of services designed to improve a person’s health, wellbeing, and employability.
If you’re interested in becoming a Community Champion, please contact Rose Batty from SOAR to find out more ([email protected] or 0114 213 4120)