Clarion and local Councillors welcome Sähëlï Hub to their new home in Alum Rock

On Wednesday [10 May], Cllr Sharon Thompson, Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Housing & Homelessness, cut the ribbon to mark health and wellbeing charity Sähëlï Hub’s move into the Clarion Housing Community Centre in Alum Rock. Cllr Thompson was also joined by the Councillor for Alum Rock, Cllr Mariam Khan.

The community centre sits at the heart of Alum Rock in Birmingham, a city where Clarion owns and manages thousands of homes, and acts as meeting place for local residents as well as a space for events and activities.

Thanks to funding from partners including Clarion Futures, the charitable foundation of Clarion Housing Group, Sähëlï Hub delivers a wide range of exercise, health education and crafts activities, helping to improve community wellbeing with a focus on reaching women from diverse backgrounds. A key part of this is the diabetes prevention programme delivered at the community centre, helping local residents to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by improving their health and lifestyle.

In 2022/23, Clarion invested more than £89,000 in supporting community projects across Birmingham through its charitable foundation, Clarion Futures. This figure is in addition to the tailored employability, digital inclusion and money guidance support available to people living in Clarion homes and communities nationwide.

The community centre in Alum Rock also plays host to a range of other activity delivered by local organisations and supported by Clarion Futures, including sports sessions and activity and food-based projects in school holidays delivered by Pitch 2 Progress: a local organisation created to unite young people through their love of sport.

Cllr Sharon Thompson, Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Housing & Homelessness, said:

“I am delighted to have cut the ribbon to mark health and wellbeing charity Sähëlï Hub’s move into the Clarion Housing Community Centre in Alum Rock. The new funding will enable the hub to continue delivering a wide range of exercise, health education and crafts activities which will benefit everyone in the local community. And by reaching out to women from diverse backgrounds through initiatives like their diabetes prevention programme, the hub will also help to tackle health inequalities and foster a real sense of community inclusion.”

Clare Miller, Chief Executive of Clarion Housing Group, said:

“We’re proud to support Sähëlï Hub through our charitable foundation, Clarion Futures, and are delighted that our community centre in Alum Rock is now their home. The work they do with local people to improve their health and wellbeing is so important, making a difference for generations to come through their education programmes and holistic approach, and I’m sure they’ll continue to go from strength to strength.”

Naseem Akhtar, founder and CEO of Sähëlï Hub, said:

“We’ve been working in Alum Rock for more than 12 years, pioneering innovative programmes to help local people get active as well as our successful Culturally Appropriate Prevention of Diabetes (CAPD) programme, teaming up with local GPs to tackle health inequalities in the area.

“Thanks to Clarion Futures, we now have a home at the heart of the community and we have found a supportive partner who shares our vision for Alum Rock. We’re committed to working together to make the Alum Rock Community Centre a health and wellbeing hub that will benefit everyone living locally and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

To find out more about the support available through Sähëlï Hub, visit www.saheli.co.uk.