Health and social care

Volunteering and training with Health Trainers

Do you want to make a real difference in your community?

Community Health Champions are local volunteers who help people live healthier, happier lives across York. You’ll encourage positive lifestyle changes, connect people to wellbeing activities, and share your insight to help shape local health services.

Why Health Champions matter

Health Champions are the heart of healthier communities.

You’ll help tackle health inequalities, spread the word about healthy habits, and support campaigns on things like being more active, eating well, stopping smoking, drinking within low-risk guidelines, and boosting mental wellbeing. Plus, you’ll help reduce loneliness by bringing people together.

What Health Champions do

As a Health Champion, you might:

  • chat with people about small changes that make a big difference
  • support local health projects and campaigns
  • organise or join community activities and events
  • share ideas to improve health services

Health Champions help people to:

  • move more and eat better
  • stop smoking and drink within low-risk guidelines
  • feel happier and more confident
  • make new friends and feel less isolated

Your time, your way

There are no set hours. You choose how much time you give and how you get involved. Every conversation and every connection counts.

Training and support

We’ll give you all the training you need, covering healthy eating, physical activity, mental wellbeing, behaviour change, stopping smoking, and drinking within low-risk guidelines. You’ll also join regular meet-ups with other champions to share ideas and support each other.

Get started as a Health Champion

If you care about your community and want to help others feel their best, you’re already halfway there! You don’t need to be an expert, just a good listener, a friendly face, and someone who’s keen to learn and inspire others.

Contact us on email: healthchampions@york.gov.uk, or telephone: 01904 552774, and join a growing network of local people making York healthier and happier.

Also see

Health Trainers

West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA

Telephone: 01904 553377