Supporting women and girls in Bexley and Greenwich
Women and girls in Bexley and Greenwich have been benefiting from a series of outreach initiatives designed to provide support and information to manage their health confidently.
The project is part of NHS South East London and King’s Health Partners Women’s and Girls’ Health Programme which launched two pilot health hubs for residents in Bexley, Greenwich and Lambeth, focusing on four key areas: heavy menstrual bleeding, contraception, pre-conception and menopause.
Volunteer Centre Greenwich and Volunteer Centre Bexley have been coordinating the outreach for this programme, ensuring that those most in need of support are aware of the health hub and how they can use its services.
Outreach has been delivered through a series of community events and targeted workshops with voluntary and community sector organisations in the boroughs. Trained volunteers have supported women and girls, especially those from marginalised communities, by encouraging open conversations about women’s health, sharing toolkits developed on the four themes, and information about local services.
Many women reported at events how they finally felt “seen and heard” and learnt how they can improve their symptoms and get support.
Bexley outreach
Since August 2025, Volunteer Centre Bexley has attended six community events, speaking to 265 women and directly signposting 95 women to the hub. Other activities have included:
- focus group discussions to gather insights from residents on sexual health services and their experiences and perceptions of these services.
- engaging with over 40 women who expressed interest in becoming Women and Girls’ Health Champions. These champions come from diverse backgrounds, and bring a wide range of skills and expertise.
- delivering A microgrant programme to support local community groups to improve and raise awareness of women’s health.
- offering open drop-in sessions at local libraries, where people can simply come and chat without needing to register.
Greenwich outreach
Volunteer Centre Greenwich (VCG) has recruited and trained a team of 30 women and girls health ambassadors, and connected with its member organisations to share information on the hub and to offer bespoke workshops or attendance of the ambassadors at existing events or activities.
Ambassadors have either delivered or attended 34 outreach events across Greenwich, helping 106 women access the health hub. The outreach team are now running a monthly walking group and coffee morning to boost wellbeing, connection, and conversations around menopause and women’s health.
Across the two boroughs, more than 30 grassroots community organisations have benefited from tailored sessions to meet the specific needs of their residents. For example a group of women with learning disabilities were provided with visual aids and a workshop delivered with simplified language, and key messages about the health hub have been translated into different languages.
Two health ambassadors have shared their experiences:
“I’m passionate about supporting women and girls to live healthier, more empowered lives. I believe that access to clear, supportive health information can have a life-changing impact, and I’m keen to play a part in helping break down barriers, whether that’s around stigma, lack of knowledge, or confidence in accessing services.”
“At the time you’re so busy, you don’t really think about it; you just carry on. But being a Women and Girls’ Health Champion made me realise how important it is to share information. I picked up a leaflet about cervical screening and thought of my daughter. She’s so busy with work that when her appointment comes through it’s easy to put it off. I took the leaflet to her and said, ‘This is why it’s important. This isn’t me nagging you.’ For me, being a Champion is about spreading the word.”