City, community, and civic leaders can play a unique role in helping make their urban areas 'Healthy Cities'.
As part of Bupa’s #HealthyCities campaign, The Bupa Foundation has launched a £550,000 Green Community Grants fund this June. The programme will help improve green spaces in urban areas, give local communities better access to nature and encourage wildlife to thrive.
Do you know a school or UK charity who’d like to apply?
Grants of up £2,000 are available to fund community gardens, allotments, forest schools and more...
Healthy Cities scorecards
Our health and the health of our planet are deeply connected.
These scorecards offer a snapshot of data to highlight access to and the quality of urban green spaces and their impact on community health and wellbeing in six major UK cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, and Manchester.
By showcasing these important metrics, we aim to highlight areas of success and identify opportunities to improve, as part of our commitment to promoting both people and planet health.
Go the extra mile
Five ways to make your city healthier.
Enhance access to green spaces. Help preserve, regenerate and create green spaces for community use. This will support better mental and physical well-being, improve air quality and reduce the impact of urban heatwaves.
Develop and implement a climate and health action plan for your city. Integrate health considerations across climate mitigation measures, air quality, urban planning, transport infrastructure, and public health.
Promote active travel by investing in infrastructure for walking and cycling (and encourage people to sign up to our next Healthy Cities challenge!). From creating safer, greener routes to schools and workplaces, to implementing bike-sharing programmes to encourage physical activity.
Facilitate healthy eating by promoting and improve access to nutritious food, particularly in underserved communities. Prioritising access to healthy, affordable, locally-sourced food can create healthier eating habits, leading to improved overall health outcomes.
Seek the power and funding from central government to support you further in making your city a Healthy City - including over planning, infrastructure, natural environment, air quality, and healthcare.
If you're interested in learning more about Healthy Cities, how to support its aims in your area or the work of the Bupa Foundation, please contact ukgovernmentaffairs@bupa.com.
Further research and resources
Healthy & Resilient Cities - this paper aims to support mayors, urban planners, architects, engineers, health practitioners, ministries, community organisations, and the private sector to accelerate urban action on addressing climate change and its growing health impacts.
Bupa Wellbeing Index 2023 - a landmark survey that uncovers the state of the UK’s health and wellbeing.
Bupa Foundation impact report 2023 - sharing projects the Bupa Foundation has funded to support people and planet health, including national partnerships with Trees for Cities and Groundwork, as well as many local charity projects across the UK and overseas.