Building Knowledge, Raising Awareness and Supporting Healthier Communities

At Amber’s Legacy, we believe that raising awareness is about more than sharing information — it’s about giving people the knowledge, confidence and understanding to recognise when something may not be right and know where to turn for help.

That’s why we are pleased to support opportunities through the Sunderland Health Champions Team at City Hall, which provides a range of valuable training and awareness sessions covering important health and wellbeing topics.

The programme offers training for people who want to develop their knowledge and become better equipped to support the health and wellbeing of themselves and others within their communities.

🌸 Understanding Health Improvement

One of the core Health Champion modules focuses on Understanding Health Improvement, exploring the factors that influence health and wellbeing and how we can make a positive difference within our communities.

🎗️ Cancer Awareness

Cancer awareness is particularly close to the heart of Amber’s Legacy.

Our own work is centred around raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging people to listen to their bodies and seek medical advice when something doesn't feel right.

We recently attended a dedicated Cancer Awareness session held by Healthworks, helping participants increase their understanding and confidence when talking about cancer and the importance of early awareness.

The September session took place at City Hall on Tuesday 8th September.

We believe education and conversations around cancer can make a real difference. Sometimes, simply knowing which symptoms to look out for or feeling confident enough to encourage someone to speak to their GP can be incredibly important.

❤️ Health Checks Awareness

Another valuable session offered through the programme is Health Checks Awareness.

The session provides an overview of the NHS Health Check programme, why health checks matter and how they can contribute to improving population health, preventing disease and reducing health inequalities across Sunderland.

It also looks at what happens during a health check and what individuals can do to make a difference.

🗣️ Making Every Contact Count

The programme also includes Making Every Contact Count (MECC) training.

MECC focuses on using everyday conversations as opportunities to encourage positive changes in health and wellbeing.

For organisations, volunteers and community members, having the confidence to have these conversations can be a powerful way of supporting people and signposting them towards appropriate help and support.

📚 A Wide Range of Training

The Sunderland Health Champions programme offers training across a wide range of subjects, including:

• Understanding Health Improvement

• Cancer Awareness

• Alcohol Brief Intervention

• Smoking Brief Intervention

• Health Checks Awareness

• Talking Money & Wellbeing

• Damp and Mould Awareness

• Core MECC

• First Aid

• Gambling Awareness

• Gambling and Men

• Gambling and Women

• Gambling and Parents/Carers

There really is an opportunity for everyone to learn something that could help them support themselves, their families, colleagues or wider communities.

🌹 Why This Matters to Amber’s Legacy

At Amber’s Legacy, our message is simple:

Knowledge can save lives.

We want to help create communities where people feel comfortable talking about their health, recognising potential warning signs and seeking medical advice without delay.

Training and education give people the tools to have those conversations.

Whether it's understanding cancer symptoms, encouraging someone to attend a health check, talking about lifestyle changes or simply knowing where to signpost someone for further support, every conversation has the potential to make a difference.

We are proud to continue learning, building connections and sharing knowledge as part of our commitment to:

Raising Awareness 🌹 Saving Lives

Find out more

The full range of Sunderland Health Champions training opportunities can be found through Sunderland Health Champions – Links for Life Sunderland.

If you are involved in a community organisation, workplace, charity or group and would like to find out more about how Amber’s Legacy can support health awareness, we would love to hear from you.

Together, we can start conversations, share knowledge and help people recognise when it’s time to seek help.

🌹 Amber’s Legacy – Raising Awareness, Saving Lives