Health Begins in Community: How ICM is Supporting Wellbeing in Ipswich

Connecting with nature, senses, and each other. A mindful winter walk exploring local plants and fresh air at Thornham Walks. Wellbeing starts with small, shared moments like these.

At ICM, we believe that good health starts with relationships, trust, and everyday action. For many of us, the places where we feel most supported are not clinics or waiting rooms, but community centres, parks, our kitchens, and conversations. That belief sits at the heart of our Westgate Wellbeing programme.

In Westgate Ward, one of Ipswich’s most diverse but disadvantaged areas, too many people are locked out of good health, not because they don’t care, but because the system was never built with them in mind. So we’re building something different.

Through our Westgate Wellbeing programme, we are making health community-led, culturally appropriate, and rooted in everyday life. Over the past year, we’ve worked with residents, partners, and community champions to create something special and the impact is growing.

Why We Started With Hypertension

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is often called the silent killer. It can lead to strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure and more. But many people live with it for years without symptoms.

In Westgate, a lot of people were unaware they had it, didn’t know how to check it, or felt too anxious to engage with traditional health services. We knew we couldn’t wait for problems to get worse. We had to meet people where they are, in parks, in town centres, in ESOL classes and in church halls.

Our approach was simple but radical: if people can't or don’t come to health, we’ll bring health to people.

Checking our blood pressure together.

What We’ve Done — and Why It Works

Pop-Up Town Centre Health Day

We teamed up with SPOT Wellbeing to host a free pop-up health event right in the middle of Ipswich. On a busy weekday, people walking past could stop, ask questions, get their blood pressure checked, and speak to someone who understood where they were coming from.

Over 100 people took part, and 90 had a check-up.

The key was visibility and accessibility. There were no appointments, no forms, and no fear of getting it wrong. Just a friendly face and helpful advice.

We hope we have proved that when healthcare is made visible and informal, people respond. They feel invited, not judged.

Bringing healthcare to the heart of the community.

Wellbeing Walks in Nature

We also began hosting Discovery Walks in natural spaces. Woodlands, coastal paths and parks as a way to reconnect people with their health and each other. These aren’t just strolls. They are small acts of repair.

Walking in nature is a powerful way to ease stress and reduce isolation. Surrounded by trees, fresh air, and good company, people relaxed, opened up, and reconnected, not just with others, but with themselves.

We walked, talked, breathed.

Nature gave people space to reflect, to move at their own pace, and to feel grounded again.

From forest floor to art table. A refreshing Thornham discovery walk that ended with beautiful nature-inspired creations. Fresh air, creativity, and connection with the natural world all in one mindful afternoon.

Monthly Social Club

We launched a regular social club where people could come together for a meal, share stories, learn something new, and casually check their blood pressure. There’s no pressure. No sign-up sheet. Just community.

At these clubs, people build trust with each other, and with the idea that they deserve good health. They took their blood pressure before and after and saw immediate benefits. We’ve seen participants reduce their blood pressure by up to 7 percent, just by being together, walking a little more, and eating well. That’s preventative health in action.

Laughter, movement, and connection. Our Social Club brings people together to share energy, mindfulness, stories, and a sense of belonging. A joyful space where wellbeing begins with community.

Health and Wellbeing Day at Burlington Road

This is one of our flagship events. Last year, we brought together 20+ local health organisations and hosted over 200 residents for a half-day of free checks, advice, and connections.

We’re doing it again this year on Tuesday 21 May 2025 at Burlington Church Hall. No appointments, no judgment. Just welcome.

People come not just for their own health, but to bring a neighbour or family member who might never go to a GP otherwise. It’s local, familiar, and safe.

Our brilliant Jo selling plants at our Health and Wellbeing Day, raising money for our community projects while reminding us how nurturing plants can nurture us too. Gardening supports mental health, reduces stress, and brings people together. A simple, powerful way to grow wellbeing, one plant at a time.

"Being a Community

Champion and developing

health skills has helped me,

my family and my

community in so many ways"

The Difference We’re Making

So far, we’ve:

• Delivered 250+ health checks

• Supported 300+ residents

• Given away 48 free blood pressure monitors

• Created new health-focused ESOL modules

• Trained 15 Community Health Ambassadors

• Organised 70-person Discovery Walks

• Installed a SISU health check machine at our site

• Translated health materials into several languages

• Developed new projects like women-only gym sessions, a smoking cessation programme, plus we're planning a top secret food project.

But the numbers don’t tell the full story. What matters is how people feel. More confident. More curious. More in control.

Stories That Stay With Us

Hatice had high blood pressure when she joined our programme. She didn’t realise how dangerous it could be. But through our social club and the Active Blues programme at Ipswich Town FC, she learned how to manage her health, changed her diet, began walking regularly, and lost over 10 kilos. Go Hatice!

"I feel great as I’ve managed

to lose over 10 kilos from

exercises and life changes I

learnt from Active Blues and

our social club"

Feeling inspired in the Ipswich Town FC changing room. The Active Blue Programme is all about boosting health, confidence, and connection through fun, inclusive sessions with the club.

Getting active and having fun with our Active Blue programme in partnership with Ipswich Town Football Club. Boosting confidence, energy, and wellbeing through movement, teamwork, and a few powerful punches.

Marta, one of our Community Champions, saw that local Roma women didn’t have anywhere they felt safe to exercise. So she started a female-only gym club. It’s now a place of friendship, fitness, and freedom. Isn't that great?

Romeo created a Romanian-language smoking cessation project after seeing how many people in his community needed support but didn’t know where to turn.

Daniella is planning a childcare and mentoring project, because she knows parents can’t focus on their health unless their children are supported too.

These stories show the power of community-led health. When people feel empowered, they become changemakers.

A Moment for Ourselves

Wellbeing starts at home. So last week, we held ICM’s first Staff Sports Day in Christchurch Park. There were three-legged races, egg and spoon races, and a lot of laughing. It reminded us that health isn’t just about numbers, it’s about joy, rest, and shared experience.

Having fun and being playful is a serious job at ICM!

What’s Next

This is just the beginning. Over the next year, we’re launching:

• A new project focused on health, culture, and food. Ssssh we can't tell you any more right now as it's top secret. More soon.

• More women-only fitness spaces

• Greater outreach to migrant and refugee communities

• Deeper partnerships with local NHS teams and services

• And embedding health and wellbeing into all our programmes, from youth work to ESOL

  
  

Join Us: Health and Wellbeing Day 2025

Tuesday 21 May 202510 am – 1 pmBurlington Church Hall, 6-2 Burlington Road, Ipswich IP1 2HA

Come for a free health check. Stay for the people, the warmth, the welcome. Whether you’re looking to improve your health, support someone else, or just be part of something good, this is for you.

Because health is not a service. It’s a relationship. And it starts right here, in Westgate.

With Thanks to Our Partners

This work is powered by partnership. We’re deeply grateful to all those who walk alongside us:

NHS • Suffolk County Council • SPOT Wellbeing • Ipswich Town FC • Ipswich Museum • Phoenix Project • ISCRE • Suffolk Refugee Support • Ipswich Romanian Community • Polish Community Hub • Macmillan • Social Prescribers • Burlington GP Surgery • Barrack Lane GP Surgery • Healthwatch Suffolk • Health Voices • Let’s Talk Reading • Cancer Support • Lighthouse • Suffolk Constabulary • Survivors in Transition • Jobcentre Plus • The Hive • Suffolk Libraries • Pelvic Health Team • Cervical Screening Teams • Talking About Cancer Together • Suffolk Mind • Feel Good Suffolk • Oral Health Assessment Team • Dementia Connect • ACE Anglia • Practice Plus Group • Active Lives • Future Female Society • BME Support Group • Anglia Care Trust • Good Thinking Club • Leading Lives • Law Centre • Childhood Vaccination Clinic • St Elizabeth Hospice

And of course: our Community Champions, Volunteers, Learners, and Residents. You are the reason this works.