Boston Community Champions empower and support residents to stay up-to-date with the latest advice on Covid-19, vaccinations and also other health messages.
Our Community Champions have already played a vital role in protecting our residents thought the pandemic by tapping into their local networks and encouraging people in their community to come forward and get vaccinated, sharing key messages and having supportive conversations so that people in our community can make informed decisions. They help identify barriers to accessing accurate information and provide tailored support, such as phone calls for people without easy access to digital technology, helplines, as well as linking in to GP surgeries.
Nichola Holderness Empowering Healthy Communities Co-ordinator at Boston Borough Council, said: “By increasing our Community Champions, the volunteers who are at the heart of our community, we can try to help improve vaccination take up across the borough and tackle vaccine hesitancy among some of our communities and encourage them to protect themselves and their friends and families.
“We are doing everything we can to reach those who haven’t yet come forward for their jabs and we know some people are more likely to listen to those they trust. The offer of a vaccine will always be available, it’s not too late.
“Anyone can join and receive regular updates on various topics. By sharing the information and guidance with people you know, you can help keep people safe and reduce the risk of serious illness.”
One of our Community Champions, Cristina Warrant joined our team as a Community Champion in 2021, she told us: “It was really clear when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, that a number of people in our community needed further information on the facts available to them, I wanted to support our community so people could understand the information and make their own decisions about whether to get the vaccination.” Cristina continues to support the Empowering Healthy Communities Team by sharing many of our messages on social media in her first language of Romanian.
Patsie Marson, one of our Boston Hero winners and also a local Community Champion said: “I always make sure I am sharing messages to my social media followers, I have a good following network on Facebook and if some of the information I share from trusted sources helps just one person decide to have the vaccination then I think it is worthwhile signing up to be a Community Champion”.
For more information and how to become a Community Champion please visit www.mybostonuk.com/communitychampion/