This Healthy Heart Grant project has now finished, read on for the project highlights.

The Problem:

Cardiovascular disease is the second highest cause of death in England, and it is estimated that 100,000 people in Suffolk were affected by it in 2017. In this area of England, high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart diseases, affects more than a quarter of the population. With many of these adults being unaware of their condition or managing it appropriately.

The Project:

ActivHearts Ladies Hub aimed to keep women active, encourage women to eat an informed, healthy diet, and to reduce stress through mindfulness, relaxation and exercise. It targeted women aged 55+, particularly those at risk of heart diseases and hosted weekly sessions providing education and awareness on the importance of heart health.

This project successfully provided a non-judgemental place for women to meet to meet to gain expert advice, be educated and have a safe space to talk about their health. The sessions ran included: nutrition and healthy eating, understanding food labels, menopause, mindfulness, stress management and the importance of sleep to name a few. As well as these, they also had cooking classes, helping them to cook healthily for one person on a budget, along with seated dance sessions and strength mobility exercises. Further outreach sessions were provided to increase awareness of the project and the importance of heart health.

Project Highlights:

ActivLives project ActivHearts Ladies Hub reached over 300 beneficiaries through its publicity and promotion. Although less sessions were delivered than originally planned and there were less people directly involved in the focus groups, overall, more people were reached than anticipated. As well as this, 100 women walked away with a goody bag full of healthy hearts information, practical guidance, and literature, which assisted in the success of this project increasing awareness of heart health in the local community.