Mums at local support group become Health Champions 

Picture and story by Community Reporter Rianna Newman

Members of a Knowle West support group have officially been declared Health Champions.

Our Time, which meets weekly at Ilminster Avenue Nursery, started as a domestic violence support group and is now open for parents to meet and socialise with their children.

It is run by two local mums, friends Becky Lane (34) and Keisha Cooper (29) who say the group was inspired to take the qualification because it felt health champions could “get people to make small changes which, in the long run, will improve their health.”

Our Time members began a five-week course in the summer learning about public health and have now passed the Level 2 qualification, which included an exam.

Health Champions are volunteers who, with training and support help transform health and wellbeing in their communities.

Becky explains: “We will be the first (point of) contact for people to express their health issues so we can then try and sign post them to the right kind of help. As a group we aim to get involved in local health campaigns to promote healthy living too.”

The course was led by Carl Morrison, Advanced Health Improvement Practitioner for Bristol City Council.

He says: “… Our Health Champions provide valuable help by supporting Public Health priorities, including smoking, alcohol, exercise, mental health, dementia, NHS health checks and raising cancer awareness.”

Our Time meets every Wednesday during term time at Ilminster Avenue Specialist Nursery School and Children’s Centre, from 9-11am. For more information contact: ourtime.bk@outlook.com