Healthy Ambitions Suffolk is an exciting project to make Suffolk the healthiest county by 2028.

Launched in November 2008, it brought together all of the county's leading public services to work alongside the private and independent sectors, community groups and individuals to help everyone in the county enjoy longer, happier, healthier lives.

Since then, we have made some good progress. For example, the rate at which our children were becoming obese has lessened. But, if we are to reach our aims we still have a lot to do. Not only do we need to improve our health – we need to do so in a climate of financial challenges.

Better Health

It is for those reasons we are re-launching Healthy Ambitions Suffolk concentrating upon the area where we can all make the biggest impact – the health of our hearts.

The good news is that Suffolk is currently one of the country's healthier places, so we've got a head start on other parts of the UK. But many people who live in Suffolk still suffer from preventable health problems and residents in some parts of the county, on average, live 11 years less than in the more affluent parts.

A Better Organisation

To meet the financial challenges – and to make the most of opportunities – we have changed the way Healthy Ambitions Suffolk works.

Healthy Ambitions Suffolk is now a social enterprise. We still work with all of our partners in the public, voluntary and business sectors, but we now do so as a charity. This means that we can attract more funds from a wider variety of sources.

We can also earn money through our wholly owned commercial company - 'HASfutures Ltd'.

All profits from HASfutures Ltd will be used for charitable purposes to help the health of people in Suffolk.

During the next 18 months our focus will be on identifying specific areas of activity and associated products and services that HASfutures Ltd can develop. Alongside this we will be developing new collaborations and exploring new sources of funding.

All of this work will be informed by Healthy Ambitions Suffolk’s focus on 'heart health'.

A Better County

To be successful in making Suffolk the healthiest county we need to inspire individuals, businesses and our local communities to take responsibility for their health and to make positive changes to their lifestyle.

We'll provide a clear, single direction which will bring organisations and individuals together to get results, while celebrating their achievements at the same time.

We still need everyone in the county to get involved with the project – from large public or private sector organisations to small businesses, community groups and individuals.

That's why we’re inviting you to join in today and help make Suffolk's healthy ambitions a reality.