Project title: Move your Heart
Region: Barking, London
Award amount: £14,540
Award Date: October 2026
Many adults want to improve their health but face barriers that make it difficult to become more physically active and maintain healthier lifestyles. These include the cost of accessing physical activity opportunities, low confidence and a lack of welcoming, supportive environments. As a result, people may struggle to achieve recommended levels of physical activity, increasing their exposure to modifiable risk factors associated with coronary heart disease.
To better understand these challenges in Barking, Move Mentor conducted a community survey. The findings highlighted significant barriers to improving heart health; 61% were not consistently meeting the recommended physical activity levels, 47% identified cost as a barrier to becoming more active and 39% said a lack of confidence prevented them from exercising regularly.
Move your Heart has been designed directly in response to these findings. The project will support adults to overcome these barriers and reduce their long-term risk of heart disease.
Move Your Heart is a 12-month structured heart health project designed to support 60 adults to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease through increased physical activity, healthy eating education and sustainable lifestyle changes.
The project will deliver weekly physical activity sessions incorporating boxercise, low-impact circuits, functional fitness and strength exercises. Sessions will be progressive, inclusive and adaptable to different fitness levels, enabling participants to build their fitness, confidence and motivation at a manageable pace. Each session will conclude with a physical challenge, a review of personal goals and a home activity task to encourage continued participation and help embed healthy habits into everyday life.
Alongside the physical activity programme, monthly healthy heart workshops will provide practical education on key topics, including understanding coronary heart disease, heart healthy eating, weight management, stress management, sleep and maintaining long-term healthy habits. Participants will receive accessible resources, guidance and practical actions to implement at home, supporting them to make informed choices and sustain positive behaviour changes beyond the project.
Move Your Heart will also deliver two free community heart health days, one at the beginning and one at the end of the project. These events will engage the wider community, raise awareness of coronary heart disease prevention and promote the importance of taking proactive steps towards better heart health. Activities will include free blood pressure checks, healthy eating demonstrations, exercise taster sessions and the distribution of heart health information and resources.
Through its combination of structured physical activity, practical health education and community engagement, Move Your Heart aims to empower participants to take greater control of their heart health, develop sustainable healthier lifestyles and increase awareness of coronary heart disease prevention across the wider community.
Move Your Heart will be delivered by a multidisciplinary team comprising an experienced physical activity coach, a nutritionist and a registered nurse who will support participant health assessments. This combination of expertise will ensure participants receive practical, inclusive and informed support to improve their heart health, increase physical activity and make sustainable lifestyle changes.
Each of the 60 participants will receive three Healthy Heart Assessments throughout the project, including blood pressure, waist circumference and weight measurements. These assessments will help participants monitor changes over time, understand key indicators of heart health and recognise the benefits of adopting healthier habits. Every participant will also receive a Healthy Heart Passport to record their assessment results, personal goals and progress throughout the project. This will provide a practical way to celebrate achievements, maintain motivation and encourage greater ownership of their health and wellbeing.
The wider benefits of Move Your Heart will include improved physical activity levels, increased confidence in exercising, greater knowledge of healthy eating and coronary heart disease prevention, and stronger motivation to maintain positive lifestyle changes. By combining structured exercise, nutrition education, professional support and regular progress reviews, the project will help participants build healthier routines that can continue beyond the funded programme.