Last week, we had the pleasure of attending the launch of Prostate Cancer UK’s Stronger Knowing More campaign. This campaign is aimed at black men and puts the spotlight on the fact that black men have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Black men have a 1 in 4 chance of developing prostate cancer, which is double the risk faced by white men.

The campaign was formally launched on 17^th January at 15 Hatfields . The event started with a networking session where we were able to speak to staff members involved in developing this much-needed campaign, hear from men who have been affected by prostate cancer and view the very powerful images being used for Stronger Knowing More.

Powerful Imagery

Our first mission as we walked around the beautiful venue was to look at the exhibition of images which were created for the campaign.

Prostate Cancer UK worked with photographer Dennis Morris to create a collection of photographs of black men from the worlds of sport, politics and the arts as well as prostate cancer survivors in a show of strength against prostate cancer. The collection of images featured former WBA World Heavyweight champion David Haye, Olympic gold medallist, Linford Christie Labour MP, Chuka Umunna, writer and musician Benjamin Zephaniah, ex-England footballer Viv Anderson and Red Dwarf star Danny John-Jules.

Reading through the captions of the each picture was really inspiring, moving and empowering and we’re sure that as men see these it was make them reflect on their health and perceptions of prostate cancer.

It was also interesting to read the behind the scenes view of the creation of the pictures with photographer Dennis Morris explaining that each shot was carefully thought through. For his photo shoot he asked each of his subjects to select a location where they felt the strongest and he was able to capture moments of defiance, strength and vulnerability.  It is hoped that the pictures will tap into the inner strength of men and when combined with information will defeat the silence and stigma around prostate cancer.

Moving Stories

During the networking session we spoke to several men with experience of prostate cancer and were so moved by their experience and the fact that despite their health they were working tirelessly to raise awareness and support other men.  It was also interesting to learn of how some men came to be diagnosed, many by chance encounters with people who made them think which really highlighted that small gestures can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

We spoke to one man whose first words to us were: “that man saved my life” as he pointed to one of Prostate Cancer UK’s most well-known patient volunteers, Errol McKellar. He told us that he was waiting at a train station one day when Errol began speaking to him about prostate cancer and ended the conversation by giving him a leaflet, which he only took to “shut him up!” He said that leaflet stayed on his desk at work for two weeks and then during a slow day at work he read the leaflet and realised he had some of the symptoms of prostate cancer. He visited his GP and was later diagnosed with prostate c,ancer, which he said was devastating.  All he could think about was not being there for his wife and children and not being around to see his children grow up, “they are still so young”. Luckily he was diagnosed at a fairly early stage and his future is bright, but had he not met Errol McKellar his story could have been so different.

Inspiring Speeches

After the networking session it was time for speeches. We first heard from Tom Shrophire, Trustee of Prostate Cancer, UK who gave some background to the campaign and how it came into being. He said that there was a need to publically acknowledge the heightened risk black men have and start implementing a solution that seeks to raise awareness as many men don’t realise they are at an increased risk.  He said this work is part of Prostate Cancer UK’s aim to tame prostate cancer in the next 10 years and this means they have to make black men, black families and black communities a priority.

We also heard from Prostate Cancer UK ambassador, Errol McKellar, who shared his touching story about his experience with prostate cancer. He was diagnosed after reading a leaflet about the PSA test and then decided to have the test done. He explained how prostate cancer totally changed his life and was the most difficult challenge of his life. He described the importance of having a good support system and said he would have never made it through this disease without the support of his wife (“my wife was my strength”). He gave hope to men by saying his prostate cancer diagnosis had knocked him down, yes, but it hadn’t knocked him out.  He gave a realistic view telling the audience that he is still battling some of the side effects of treatment and of the disease itself and it has taken him a long time to come to terms with how it has affected his life.  He also described his more vulnerable moments, like when he was diagnosed, he said “he cried like a baby.”

We were so inspired by all the work Errol has done since his recovery.  After he recovered from his treatment and was fit to return to work he was contemplating how he could make difference. So he decided that he would speak to every man that came into his mechanic shop about prostate cancer.

On his first day back to work he started with his first customer and  asked him: “When last did you get your prostate checked?”  He then offered his customer a 20% discount if he got a PSA test done and reported back to him. Sure enough a few months later the man return for his 20% discount having completed his PSA test but was shockingly diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. The man said that Errol should donate the discount to charity and keep raising awareness. That was back in 2011 and since then Errol has spoken to hundreds of men about prostate cancer which has resulted in 26 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer, sadly two of those men have since passed away.

Finally we heard from actor Rudolph Walker, who has been working with Prostate Cancer UK for a number of years to raise awareness. Whilst he hasn’t had prostate cancer himself he spoke of his close friend who sadly lost his life to prostate cancer, but had he known the symptoms and been diagnosed earlier he may still be here today.

Getting Involved

On the night Prostate Cancer UK asked us all to make a pledge to support their campaign and raise awareness and we’ve pledged to do just that.

You can also get involved in this campaign and Prostate Cancer UK have said you could do any of the following:

• Read the ‘information for black men’ guide, wear your ‘man of men’ charity pin badge, and spread the word. Give the second guide and badge to someone who needs it
• Visit strongerknowingmore.org to find out the latest on the campaign
• Use your social media accounts to share the campaign on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (follow us at @ProstateUK and use #StrongerKnowingMore)
• Go online and book a free awareness talk for your colleagues, church or community organisation
• Order the free campaign posters and information to promote them in your workplace or your community organisation
• Help stop prostate cancer being a taboo subject. Share your personal story with us so we can share it with others

So let’s all get involved in raising awareness, breaking down the walls of silence and work towards saving our husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, cousins and friends from prostate cancer.

This week Prostate Cancer UK launched their ‘Stronger Knowing More’ campaign which is aimed at black men and puts the spotlight on the fact that black men have a significantly higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Black men have a 1 in 4 chance of developing prostate cancer, which is double the risk faced by all men who have a 1 in 8 chance of developing prostate cancer.

In addition to this increased risk of developing this devastating disease black mean are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer.  Black men have a 1 in 12 lifetime risk of dying from prostate cancer whilst all men have a 1 in 24 lifetime risk of developing prostate.

As a result of these alarming statistics Prostate Cancer UK recognised the importance of ensuring that all black men are aware of their risk so they can take steps to do something about it.

Prostate Cancer UK’s Stronger Knowing More campaign uses positive and empowering portraits of black men from the worlds of sport, politics and the arts as a show of strength against prostate cancer. Former WBA World Heavyweight champion David Haye, Olympic gold medallist, Linford Christie and Labour MP, Chuka Umunna are among the well-known faces supporting this campaign.

Stronger Knowing More is calling on the black community to confront the increased risk of prostate cancer and break down longstanding taboos that have prevented black men from speaking about the disease.

It is not known why black men have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer but genetics is thought to play a role. We can all do something about this by being aware of the symptoms and men acting quickly and visiting their doctor, without delay, if they have symptoms they are concerned about.

For more information about black men’s risk of developing prostate cancer visit Prostate Cancer UK’s website here, view the video below or if you have any concerns you can call their helpline 0800 074 8383.

Last night, we were so excited to host our first fibroids Twitter chat. We were joined by special guests Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids and Renee Brown Small Co-founder of The Fibroids Project with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.

If you missed our Twitter chat you can check out our conversation below and look out for our next Twitter chat on Wednesday 15th February at 7pm (UK time).

Update June 2018: Please note that tweets from Renee Brown Small are no longer available so some information is missing from the chat below.

Hello all, it’s @AbiBegho here and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to The Lake Foundation’s first #fibroids #Twitter chat. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Fibroids are a common, but rarely spoken about #WomensHealth issue and we want to raise awareness and provide women with info #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Fibroids are a common, but rarely spoken about #WomensHealth issue and we want to raise awareness and provide women with info #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Over the next hour we’ll be putting questions to our guests, @DrSydneyjd and @FibroidsProject on a variety of issues. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

There will be time for you to make comments and ask our guests questions. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to be a part if this much needed discussion about uterine fibroids. Thank you for having us @TheLakeFound ! #FibroidsChat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to introduce our guests.First, Renee Brown Small, from @FibroidsProject .Please tell us a bit about yourself. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to introduce our guests.First, Renee Brown Small, from @FibroidsProject .Please tell us a bit about yourself. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

We also have @DrSydneyjd from Fighting #Fibroids. Please tell us a bit about who you are and what you do. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

I am an Asst. Professor of Communication @CMNDePaul Univ. Health campaign developer. Wife, mother, daughter! #FibroidsChat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

So… let’s start at the beginning. @FibroidsProject can you tell us what exactly are fibroids? #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat #Fibroids are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. This is the what an opened uterus looks like after surgery#RxForLife pic.twitter.com/sNsC3Ih28L

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Thank you. We understand that there are different types of #fibrods. @DrSydneyjd can you take us through the different types? #fibroidschat https://t.co/X719hKxUPq

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Thank you. We understand that there are different types of #fibrods. @DrSydneyjd can you take us through the different types? #fibroidschat https://t.co/X719hKxUPq

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

The four are defined by their location in the uterus. More photos at https://t.co/MrTGm2sTLQ 2/2 #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

Ok, it looks like we don’t have any questions. So let move to the next question. @fibroidsproject What causes fibroids? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Thank you. It’s a shame the cause isn’t known as it does make prevention a bit difficult. #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

We might not know the cause, do you know factors increase a women’r risk of developing #fibroids? @FibroidsProject @DrSydneyjd #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Some factors that increase your risk include heredity, race/ethnicity, early onset of one’s period, weight, and diet #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat Here are some factors that can affect the risk of developing #fibroids.#RxForLife pic.twitter.com/TFvBT6gIzg

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Thank you. Quite a few factors affect risk. So what specific steps could women take to reduce their risk? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Unfortunately some of the risk factors are out of our hands, but we have some flexibility w/others like diet/weight etc. #fibroidschat 1/2

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

New studies show decreasing the intake of foods high in estrogen and increasing intake of green leafy veggies is a start #fibroidschat 2/2

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

@TheLakeFound Which foods have estrogen in them? Or would it be simpler to say which do not? #fibroidschat

— Jo Richards (@NearerNature) January 18, 2017

How much time do you have 😅?! There is estrogen in so many foods. I always suggest staying away from red meats as a first step #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat Here are some foods high in #estrogen #FibroidsChat pic.twitter.com/6VVS5vy3sX

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Great example of what I meant! Lots of foods have estrogen, but we also have to worry about artificial vs natural estrogen. #fibroidschat https://t.co/qN9sgzP6VM

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

Can we just highlight that Soy is a major concern and should be avoided. Vegans are particularly vulnerable #fibroidschat

— Jo Richards (@NearerNature) January 18, 2017

yes soya is such a major hormone disrupter that i still a staple in many vegetarians & vegans diets

— Leah Salmon (@naturalyoucoach) January 18, 2017

This is another great point, but I always note not demonize soy as there are conflicting studies on it’s impact at the moment #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

@FibroidsProject Fibroids are more common in black women? Why is this? #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

At this time there isn’t enough research to pinpoint why this fibroids are so common especially given the many risk factors #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

In this week’s blog post we hear from freelance journalist, Stacey Mensah, who reflects on the importance of setting resolutions that ensure we become fully rounded individuals.

As we go into another week of the new year it’s so easy to become consumed with the gimmick of new year’s resolutions. As the time passes by we slowly become desensitised to why we’re actually setting these goals – in particular, our health goals. We become obsessed by the numbers; the dress size, the number on the scale and the number of super food salads we have posted on our social media platforms and obviously consumed – obviously! But, it’s time for a reality check; what happens when that isn’t enough? Yes, you’ve changed your diet but what happens when the other aspects of your lifestyle put you and your loved ones in danger? I spoke to the daughter of a woman who was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer, but after various check-ups it turned out to be something entirely different. Here is what she had to say:

“My mother is a workaholic, that is all she has ever known. In order to provide for my siblings and I she has had to work a great deal. This meant that she didn’t really have time to go to the doctors for her check-ups. She was far too busy worrying about everyone else in the family, to worry about herself. That wasn’t until she started bleeding heavily. At first no one knew what it was until the doctors diagnosed her with cervical cancer. We couldn’t believe it.”

 In the UK alone, Cancer Research UK reports that around 3,200 new cases of cervical cancer are discovered each year. Meaning that 9 cases are diagnosed every day. With cervical cancer rates remaining stable in the UK this would not be the time to shy away from getting checked out and keeping your loved ones in the loop.

“Of course, being the protective mother she is she wanted to prepare us, trying to figure out the best way to slowly tell us. I had never felt so vulnerable. It was too late and I could do nothing about it. This was a wake-up call, none like any other. We started cooking healthier foods, making sure she was getting her nutrients in. And of course she had to realise that working the amount that she did was not good for her health. Luckily, the doctor re-diagnosed her with having an extreme case of menopause. My mother turned out to be one of the lucky ones that day. I hope she realises that.”

 I don’t know about you but I’d rather not leave it to luck. With the rates of the survival of cervical cancer improving, now would be a great time to be proactive and go to see your local GP. It’s good to have goals and it’s even better to accomplish them, but in the process let’s not forget about the other 30%. For 2017 let’s work on becoming better fully rounded individuals. This can be done by focusing on a number of things including how many hours of sleep you’re getting, your working hours, your social life and more.

Here’s to a happy and most importantly healthy 2017  🙂

We’ll see you next week!

The Lake Foundation is delighted to announce that we have received a grant from Croydon Council to work in collaboration with Diabetes UK to run a Diabetes Community Champion project in Croydon

This grant will support the cost of running this project for a year which aims to raise awareness of diabetes amongst the African and African-Caribbean community in Croydon who are three times more likely to develop the condition. The project’s focus will be on encouraging people to make lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of developing diabetes and this will involve raising awareness throughout Croydon and also working closely with pre-diabetics.

We’ll be recruiting Diabetes Community Champions who will be fully trained and will become the lifeblood of the project by getting out in the community to reach as many people as possible.

We are very grateful to Croydon Council for supporting us to tackle this very important health issue in the black community and we look forward to working with Diabetes UK.

If you’re interested in becoming a Diabetes Community Champion, please email info@thelakefoundation.com for more information.

It can be really hard fitting in the recommended amount of physical activity (150 minutes a week) into our day-to-day routine and even when we do manage to find the time, let’s be honest, exercise can be really dull!

Many times we start exercising with great intentions, but alas we lose motivation within a few weeks as it’s just not fun. For any kind of exercise plan to be effective, we have to commit to it, be persistent and push through the pain, but this can only be achieved if we’re enjoying the activity we’re taking part in. An exercise routine that’s fun has a better chance of long-term success, particularly if it is group exercise. Fun and a sense of camaraderie gets you through the pain, cold mornings and rainy days that may stop you from achieving your physical activity goals.

If you want to get fit and active this year, the key is to find something that you love doing. Now, we all  like a good party, so if you can combine exercise with a party feel, then you’ll definitely commit to that, right?

So, today we decided to test out a class on your behalf (AfroFit) and we are so sure you’re going to love it. AfroFit is a new class at the Eve and Grace Wellness Centre in Battersea.

The class was led by the very elegant and friendly Rebecca Adebiyi from Afrofit and Afrotales, a new organisation that has two elements to it: African-inspired cardio workouts for adults and children and African-inspired story and drama sessions for children aged 2 to 6.

Today was the launch of the class and we started with getting ourselves familiar with Afro Beat music and moves. For 60 minutes we worked our way through a dance routine that worked every part of our body. We got our hips moving,  arms waving, legs tapping, necks popping and bodies waving,  and we were smiling for the entire 60 minutes (it was fuuun!!). There was also a freestyle session where we got to show off our favourite moves, in our own unique style.

Rebecca was a great, patient teacher and by the end of the session we were looking like professional dancers :-),  but importantly we got a good full-body workout. It was wonderful to attend a class that uses African culture to get us active in a fun way that we could truly relate to.

If you’re looking to get more active this year, then we highly recommend this class. AfoFit takes place every Saturday at 1:30pm.

You can find out more about this class on the Eve and Grace Wellness Centre’s website. Whilst on their website you can check out all the other great classes at the centre.  We’re sure you’ll find a number of classes that you’ll like. Next we’ll be trying out the Mash It Up Dancercise class, an authentic Jamaican dancehall and fitness class.

Public Health England this week revealed that results from a recent survey suggest that children are consuming half of their daily recommended sugar intake before the morning school bell rings.

Their research shows that children consume more than 11g of sugar (almost 3 cubes) at breakfast alone. The government recommends that 4 to 6 year olds consume no more than 5 cubes a day and 7 to 10 year olds consume no more than 6 cubes a day. The main sources of these high levels of  sugar are cereals, drinks and spreads.

The research was conducted in November 2016 and involved 200 parents of children aged 4 to 10 years old completing an online survey about their child’s breakfast. The survey also revealed that, as well as children’s consuming too much sugar, 84% of parents whose children were consuming more that 11g of sugar at breakfast thought that they were giving their child a healthy breakfast. This means there needs to be some clarity around the content of breakfast foods to ensure parents are making informed choices about the food they buy.

To address this issue Public Health England’s Change4Life programme have launched the ‘Be Food Smart’ campaign which is encouraging parents to be more aware of the sugar, saturated fat and salt content of the food they buy. It also aims to educate parents of the harm caused by eating unhealthy food.

To support this campaign, Change4Life have developed an app that allows parents to scan the barcodes of products and get a breakdown of their sugar, saturated fat and salt content.  It also provides hints and tips on how to cut down on unhealthy foods and the app also has fun features like food detective activities and missions for the whole family.

The app free and is available on the iTune Store or Google Play.

For more information visit Change4Life’s website.

Croydon Council recently launched a health and well-being website called JustBe. This website aims to get local people to adopt a healthier lifestyle by offering a number of recommendations and pointing Croydon residents to local services. To get their messages across they use a variety of tools such as apps, podcasts, expert advice, videos, diet plans and exercise routes.

The JustBe online health programme focuses on six key health and well-being areas which include: eating a healthy diet, being more active, drinking less alcohol, improving mental health, cutting out smoking and maintaining healthy sexual relationships. By focusing on these areas it is hoped that  local inequalities will be addressed and improved.

Croydon residents can start by completing a health MoT which is a quick online assessment which provides a short report with some suggestions on how to improve your health and well-being. Following this, residents can explore the website which is divided into the six health and well-being areas under the headings:

• Be happy
• Be active
• Be alcohol aware
• Be sex safe
• Be food smart
• Be smoke free

You can also register to receive weekly tips and advice by email from Croydon Council’s leading health guru and explore a range of health tools which include apps, podcasts, expert advice, videos, diet plans and exercise routes.

The Council will continue to expand the services available in the JustBe programme and next year one-to-one support from experts will be available. These sessions will last for up to 52 weeks and will be based on current best practice around behaviour change.

Councillor Louisa Woodley, cabinet minister for families, health and social care said:

“The new JustBe Croydon website means residents are just a click away to self-help and encouragement to lead happier and healthier lives”

The Lake Foundation encourages all Croydon residents to get online and visit JustBe for some useful health information.  You can find JustBe here , follow them on Twitter (@JustBeCroydon) and ‘like’ them on Facebook (JustBeCroydon).

This week, a new analysis by Public Health England has revealed a troubling conclusion: 40 to 60 year olds in the UK are facing a health crisis. This health crisis has been attributed to modern lifestyles, particularly “the car, the desk job and the computer”, which means that people are not as physically active as 20 years ago.

“People are busy with work, with families, with the daily grind and sometimes their own health is the least of their priorities.” – Professor Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing, Public Health England

Public Health England’s analysis explored how the behaviour and health of people aged 40 to 60 has changed over the past 20 years. They found that 83% of 40-60 year olds either drink too much,  are inactive or are overweight or obese.

When we looked at their data on obesity, their report states that 77% of men and 63% of women within the 40 to 60 age group are overweight or obese compared to 67% of men and 55% of women 20 years ago. Public Health England also noted that many middle aged people couldn’t identify what a healthy body looks like and they suggest that it is possible that obesity is now becoming the new normal. This is worrying as many people may not realise they are at an unhealthy weight.

Another important area the analysis looked at was diabetes. They found that the diabetes rate in 40 to 60 year olds has doubled – 3% of middle aged people had diabetes 20 years ago and today that has increased to 7%.  Apart from diabetes they found that the rate of heart conditions in men has increased, rising from 8.5% to 11.4% and mental health conditions had trebled (2% to 6%.) Although, with regards to mental health, it was felt that the increase could be due to a better understanding and recognition of mental health conditions.

Solutions

In order to address this health crisis Public Health England’s One You campaign will be reaching out to 40 to 60 year olds to help people assess their lifestyle and then provides tools on how to adopt a healthy lifestyle. These tools include apps like Couch to 5K, Alcohol Checker and Easy Meals.

Other similar solutions include Croydon Council’s online health programme, JustBe, which aims to get local people to adopt a healthier lifestyle by offering a number of recommendations and pointing Croydon residents to local services. To get their messages across they use a variety of tools such as apps, podcasts, expert advice, videos, diet plans and exercise routes.

At the Lake Foundation, we’re aiming to get people active through our free cycling club which is open to everyone. A limited number of bikes and helmets are available. For more information email us

Conclusions

Public Health England’s analysis concluded that compared to 20 years ago:

“Men aged 40 to 60 are:

• more likely to be obese
• less likely to smoke and less likely to drink alcohol (although most do)
• more likely to suffer from a heart condition
• more likely to be diabetic
• more likely to report suffering from a mental health disorder

Women aged 40 to 60 are:

• more likely to be obese;
• less likely to smoke and less likely to drink alcohol
• more likely to be diabetic
• more likely to report suffering from a mental health disorder”

Although the health of middle aged people seems to be declining, there is hope. We can turn things around if everyone makes simple changes to their lifestyle.

It’s just a couple of days until Christmas and we’d like to take a few moments to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, and as the year draws to an end it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on the work that we’re doing.

As a result of all your support and encouragement we have been very productive and have made significant progress in working towards our mission of improving the health and well-being of the black community. Thank you for all your support, we really appreciate it.

We are delighted to share our achievements for 2016 with you. Over the past year:

1. Our African Caribbean Cancer Support Group which met monthly continued but came to end as our grant came to an end. We’d like to thank the facilitator of the group Hazel Williams who did a excellent job in providing support to group members and we’d like to thank Macmillan Cancer Support and Croydon Council for funding this project.

2. We continued to offer support to women affected by fibroids through our Fibroids Ask the Expert which provides women with questions or concerns with access to experts in the field who can provide them with accurate reliable information.

3. We organised our first annual fibroid focus conference which was very well attended.

4. We once again teamed up with Black History Walks, Amanda Epe and Dr Sydney Dillard to run a fibroids awareness event with over 200 women attending.

5. We received a grant from Sport England to run our cycling club for a year. Our club began in February 2016. We have 20 members with a core group that have attended regularly come rain or shine. This project is part of our ‘Keep Active’ work which aims to get the black community active.

6. We delivered a range of health awareness presentations to the community.

7. We were featured on Croydon Radio

8. We developed relationships with a number of organisations including Noire Wellness, Voices for Autism, Kinetic Root Services, Diabetes UK, Croydon CCG and the Eve and Grace Wellness Centre

9. We were offered a grant from Croydon Council to run a 12 month diabetes community champion programme in collaboration with Diabetes UK which will start in 2017.

10. We were selected as Noire Wellness’ charity of the year and they will be raising £2000 which will go towards our fibroids education and support programme.

11. On World Mental Health Day we teamed up with film makers and mental health professionals to provide advice on how we can all support someone with a mental health condition.

We’ve thoroughly enjoyed 2016 and look forward to continuing our work in 2017. See you next year!