A new scheme has been launched to help people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds and other underrepresented communities in Suffolk live a healthier lifestyle.

OneLife Suffolk has teamed up with Future Inclusions Organisation to provide sessions to residents looking to lose weight, stop smoking and get fitter.

The two organisations have been running a series of focus groups in the IP1-IP4 postcode areas to better understand cultural and lifestyle choices before adapting the services OneLife Suffolk offers to meet the needs of the community.

East Anglian Daily Times: William Robinson and Marco Silva from Future Inclusions OrganisationWilliam Robinson and Marco Silva from Future Inclusions Organisation (Image: OneLife Suffolk)

Lisa Cox, head of OneLife Suffolk, said: "It is so important to us that we can offer our services to every member of the community and we’re excited to have the opportunity to work with Future Inclusions Organisation.

"From different diets and ingredients, to a cultural preference of female to female delivery of physical activity programmes, we are already learning a lot from these different communities and have some great ideas on how to make our programmes more diverse."