A.T Beacon Project Newsletter "Looking Back at 2025 and What's Ahead this Year
- Chinenye Oddy Ihemedu
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
2025 was a defining year for the Beacon Project, marked by bold innovation, deeper partnerships, and a strengthened commitment to community health. Aligned with the NHS Long Term Plan, we focused on meeting people where they are, offering prevention-focused support, and creating inclusive spaces.
Our mission came to life through monthly wellbeing workshops, personalised GP-led sessions, and community outreach events promoting healthier living. We proudly welcomed 200 residents to the Lambeth Fruit & Vegetable on Prescription (LFVP) Programme, enhancing access to fresh produce and sustainable eating habits.
This progress was detailed in our second Impact Report for Phase II, highlighting the programme’s growing momentum and transformative stories from Lambeth. We celebrated our achievements on Appreciation Day, honouring the participants, partners, and staff who define the Beacon Project's essence.
"Reflecting on 2025 fills us with pride and excitement for future possibilities."
HIGHLIGHTS
Community-led Health Workshops:
Reaching Residents Where They Live
Our monthly workshops, co-designed with community members and delivered by expert facilitators, covered essential topics including nutrition, physical activity, mental wellbeing, stress management, and cancer screening awareness. This co-production approach ensured that each session reflected the realities, cultural contexts, and priorities of the community.
Launching The Year With ‘Journey To Wellness’
We began the year with Journey to Wellness, a transformative workshop for participants of the Fruit & Vegetable on Prescription Programme. The session explored powerful themes such as “food as medicine”, “health is wealth”, and “enjoying a beautiful life”, encouraging healthier habits and greater self-agency.
The workshop moved many attendees emotionally, reinforcing the value of safe spaces where community members can learn, reflect, and grow together. Participants also received training to become peer wellbeing coaches, enabling them to lead grassroots health initiatives across Lambeth.
Building Knowledge, Confidence & Community Capacity
Across all workshops, participants explored:
Barriers to healthy eating and access to nutritious foods
The role of diet in preventing conditions such as diabetes and heart disease
Practical ways to increase daily physical activity
How early diagnosis through screening saves lives
At the end of the programme, residents reported feeling more informed, empowered, and connected. Many emphasised that the workshops filled gaps in their understanding and made health information accessible in a way that traditional clinical environments often cannot. A participant captured the spirit of the project perfectly:
“The speakers were exceptionally well-informed; I am profoundly grateful for the incredible work being done by the Beacon Project."
Driving Cancer Awareness & Early Screening Uptake
A major milestone this year was the delivery of targeted cancer-awareness workshops aimed at improving understanding of the most prevalent cancers affecting Lambeth residents. These sessions highlighted the free screening services available across the borough, with a strong focus on:
Breast cancer screening
Women’s health and gynaecological cancer screening
Bowel cancer screening
Lung cancer screening
The workshops were well attended, attracting residents who often act as trusted voices in their communities. Many participants stepped forward as peer ambassadors, taking information back to their families, faith groups, and neighbourhood networks, helping to remove stigma, clarify misconceptions, and build confidence in the screening process.
The impact was immediate and deeply felt. One attendee shared:
“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be here. Listening to Dusan and his team explain this screening thing in layman’s terms has given my brain a reset because it did not land well when my GP spoke to me about it.”
Another added:
“I like your style of workshop delivery. Please keep up the good work; it is needed and very helpful for our community. You know, many of us rarely visit the GP; we only go when something isn’t working well, and we’ve tried our own way.”
By simplifying medical language, addressing fears directly, and building trust through community-centred dialogue, these sessions are contributing to a potential increase in screening awareness and uptake, a critical goal for
improving early diagnosis.
Continuing Our Mission
The positive feedback and growing community engagement reflect a powerful truth: when health education is delivered in the community, with the community, impact accelerates. The Beacon Project remains committed to expanding this work, driving prevention, improving early diagnosis, and strengthening wellbeing across Lambeth
Personalised Gp-led Wellbeing Sessions:
Bringing Care Back To The Community
Among this year’s standout achievements, AT Beacon launched a first-of-its-kind personalised GP-led wellbeing initiative, offering one-on-one health discussions to participants across all our programmes. Over the course of two dedicated days, our Programme Lead, Dr Chi-Chi, delivered tailored wellness consultations within our community hubs and outreach locations across Lambeth, meeting residents directly where they are.
This innovative approach proved deeply impactful. Participants expressed feeling seen, valued, and genuinely cared for, highlighting how meaningful it was to receive personalised support in a familiar, community-based environment. At a time when accessing primary care has become increasingly challenging due to pressures on the National Health Service, much of it driven by preventable non-communicable diseases, these sessions provided a vital bridge, restoring trust and improving access to early, preventative health guidance.
The overwhelmingly positive feedback underscores that AT Beacon is uniquely positioned to lead in delivering compassionate, community-rooted, personalised care. By integrating GP-led sessions into our outreach work, we continue to ensure that prevention, early intervention, and holistic wellbeing are accessible to all, strengthening Lambeth’s health landscape one conversation at a time.
Taking Health to the Heart of the Community: Outreach That Meets People Where They Truly Are
This year, AT Beacon took community outreach to a new level, bold, vibrant, and rooted in the belief that health belongs everywhere people live, work, worship, trade, and gather. In line with the NHS vision for neighbourhood-based care, we
expanded our reach to communities often labelled “hard to engage”, proving once again that when you bring health into people’s everyday spaces, they show up, participate, and thrive.
Brixton Market: Health in the Middle of the Marketplace
One of our most exciting milestones was hosting five dynamic outreach events in the iconic Brixton Market, the beating heart of Lambeth’s culture and community.
We connected with market traders, long-time residents, and curious first-time visitors. The atmosphere was warm, joyful, and welcoming, filled with music, singing, dancing, and laughter while still delivering serious health value through targeted checks and conversations with our GPs, healthcare team, and partners from Moorfields Eye Hospital.
These sessions were more than outreach; they were bridges. We met individuals who were not registered with a GP, including people unknowingly living with undiagnosed hypertension. By offering immediate support and signposting, we helped plug residents back into the healthcare system, turning chance encounters into life-changing moments of early intervention.
Our final Brixton Market outreach was particularly meaningful. It was delivered in collaboration with Healthy Eaters, a beloved long-standing market trader who wanted to give back to the community that had supported him for decades. It was a beautiful example of community members becoming partners in care.
Meeting People in their Everyday Spaces
Beyond Brixton, our monthly outreaches continued to build trust and connection across the borough.
We delivered health engagement sessions in:
Places of worship, where we were welcomed as part of the community
The serene and culturally rich Black Farmers Market
Vibrant social gatherings like the SW9 Community Fair, Inspire event and the Lambeth Country Show
Each outreach was intentionally unique, reflecting the culture, needs, and rhythms of the people we served. No two sessions looked the same, but they all shared the same purpose: bringing compassionate, accessible, culturally attuned health support directly to the community.
Why We Do What We Do?
At AT Beacon, our mission is simple but powerful: To make health accessible, personal, joyful, and rooted in trust.
We go where the community is, not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary. Prevention works best when it feels familiar. Early intervention begins with a conversation in a place that feels safe, and every person deserves to be seen, heard, and supported on their terms, in their neighborhood, in their daily life. And when we bring healthcare into the community, the community brings health back to itself.
Updates on the Lambeth Fruit & Vegetables on Prescription Programme (LFVP)
Over the last eighteen months, 200 Lambeth residents have taken part in the Lambeth Fruit & Vegetables on Prescription Programme (LFVP). This pioneering initiative was created to make healthy eating easier and more accessible, while supporting long-term improvements in health and well-being across the community. By offering free, consistent access to fresh produce, the programme aims to help residents build healthier habits, reduce health inequalities, and feel more in control of their nutrition and lifestyle.
From day one, participants shared their excitement about being part of a first-of-its-kind programme in the borough. Each person received a welcoming “Be Right” starter pack filled with practical guidance, simple recipes, shopping tips, and nutritional advice to help them begin their journey with confidence.
But the LFVP has grown into far more than a produce prescription. It has become a supportive and uplifting community space, where participants encourage one another, exchange experiences, and celebrate progress together. Many have expressed heartfelt thanks to Lambeth Council and its partners for creating an initiative that feels truly meaningful and empowering.
Early engagement has been strong, and feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Participants are already noticing changes in their eating habits, confidence, and overall outlook, and they’re hopeful about the wider impact the programme could have across Lambeth.
The LFVP is proving that with the right support, simple changes can lead to powerful, lasting improvements in community health.
Launching Prescribing Fresh Produce:
Shaping National Policy; LFVP Aligns with UK Public Health and Food Strategy
In November, we launched our second impact report on Phase II of the Lambeth Fruit & Vegetable on Prescription (LFVP) Programme. This comprehensive report offers an in-depth evaluation of the initiative, shining a light on how prescribing fresh produce can meaningfully improve health outcomes, reduce inequalities, and support national priorities around prevention-focused care.
As the UK continues to prioritise nutrition, public health, and access to affordable healthy food, the LFVP programme stands out as a powerful example of policy in action, demonstrating how community-driven innovation can align with and inform national strategy. Read the full Impact Report below.
Appreciation Day: Celebrating the Heart of the Beacon Project
Our Appreciation Day was a warm and uplifting moment in the Beacon Project’s calendar, a chance to pause, reflect, and celebrate the people who make our work meaningful. The event brought together participants, partners, volunteers, and staff, creating a vibrant atmosphere that truly reflected the spirit of our community.
The day opened with heartfelt welcomes and reflections from project leads, who spoke about the collective effort behind this year’s achievements. Attendees enjoyed a lively programme of activities, including interactive wellbeing sessions, storytelling moments from participants, and informal conversations that highlighted the real-world impact of our shared work.
One of the most inspiring parts of the day was hearing directly from participants. Many shared personal stories of progress, small changes that led to big shifts in confidence, eating habits, and overall well-being. These moments reminded everyone why the Beacon Project exists and how powerful community-centred support can be.
We were equally proud to recognise the dedication of our partners and frontline teams. Their commitment, creativity, and consistency continue to drive the project forward, ensuring residents feel supported every step of the way.
The celebration closed on a note of gratitude and connection, with attendees expressing excitement for the year ahead.
Appreciation Day served not just as a celebration but as a reminder of the collective energy that fuels the Beacon Project and the incredible people at its heart.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Journey Continues
As we close the chapter on an extraordinary year, one thing is clear: 2025 was not just a year of activity but a year of impact. It was shaped by community voices, strengthened by meaningful partnerships, and driven by a shared belief that prevention, compassion, and connection can transform lives.
Through workshops, wellbeing sessions, outreach events, and the continued success of the LFVP programme, we witnessed moments of genuine change: residents feeling heard, supported, and empowered to take control of their health in ways that felt personal and achievable.
But this is only the beginning.
The momentum built last year has opened new doors and sparked new ambitions for 2026. We are expanding our reach, deepening our relationships across Lambeth, and stepping boldly into a future where prevention isn’t just a principle; it’s a lived experience for every household we serve.
Together with our partners, volunteers, participants, and community champions, we remain committed to shaping a healthier, more connected Lambeth, one conversation, one workshop, and one neighbourhood at a time.
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