The community came together to remember the late Councillor Waseem Zaffar at a free community healthy heart event by The West Birmingham Locality Partnership yesterday. The event was aimed at improving heart health and raising awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as it particularly affects the south Asian heritage community. The aim was to support people to make positive lifestyle changes. Held at Aspire & Succeed in Lozells, the venue was chosen because of its special significance to Waseem.
Cllr Zaffar, a former non-executive director at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, was a passionate advocate for clean air, health equity, and the wellbeing of local communities. His commitment to improving heart health continues to inspire the work of the West Locality Partnership. Members of his family attended the event, and organisers have expressed their gratitude for their support.
Sharing potentially lifesaving advice at the event Professor Derek Connolly, a leading cardiologist from SWB NHS Trust explained: “Cardiovascular disease remains one of the biggest health challenges facing our communities, but together we can make a real difference. This event reflects the huge collective effort of partners across West Birmingham from community organisations and the voluntary sector to primary care, Trust colleagues and volunteers. It is a privilege to be part of a day that honours Cllr Waseem Zaffar’s legacy and continues the work he cared so deeply about.”
Chair of West Birmingham Locality Partnership Dr Stephanie Dawe, added: “This event was the first of a number of locality‑led prevention events and marks an important step in strengthening our neighbourhood approach to health and wellbeing.
“It was a fantastic example of what can be achieved when partners, professionals, community organisations and volunteers come together with a shared purpose to improve the health and wellbeing of our local communities. We were delighted to welcome over 150 local residents for health checks and prevention advice throughout the day. Encouragingly, a number of people who attended earlier in the day returned later with family members so that they too could access checks and advice, which really reflected the positive response from the local community and the trust placed in the event.
“Importantly, through everyone’s collective efforts, we identified 31 people with significantly raised blood pressure, 16 people with elevated blood glucose levels and five with abnormal pulse rhythms. One lady required urgent onward assessment at hospital due to the severity of her blood pressure readings, demonstrating just how important this type of proactive community prevention work can be.
“Cllr Zaffar dedicated so much of his life to improving the health and well-being of local people, and we are proud to honour his memory in this way. We are also incredibly grateful to Aspire & Succeed — a place that meant so much to him — and to Shale Ahmed and his team for hosting us.”
Local resident Kiran Zaman, 36, said: “Attending this local event has given me a much better understanding of the different risk factors linked to heart conditions, not just being overweight or having high cholesterol. It’s been reassuring to have the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about heart health. I hope to see more awareness events like this in the future, so more people can access this kind of valuable information and support.”
The event offered a range of free activities and support, including free diabetes and blood pressure checks, expert advice on how to look after your heart, healthy living guidance, information on healthy eating, exercise, smoking cessation, and local heart‑health activities and advice on basic life support.