Colin Clark, 64, from Middleton, has described joining a local community group as “the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life” – a decision that pulled him back from years of isolation and led, eventually, to him performing sell-out shows with the Leeds Male Voice Choir.
His story features in this year’s annual report from Leeds City Council’s director of public health, Victoria Eaton, titled Communities at the Centre: Creating better health together in Leeds, which was presented to city health leaders at the Health and Wellbeing Board on 23 July. The report sets out the role community and voluntary groups play in improving health and reducing inequality across the city.
Colin had withdrawn from much of daily life after his wife, Carol, died from cancer in 2019 following 28 years of marriage. The isolation deepened in 2023, when his disabled adult daughter, for whom he had been a full-time carer, moved into permanent supported living at the age of 29.
He said: “When my wife died, I tried to keep everything together for my daughter but it was very difficult. It was the hardest time of my life. By the time my daughter moved out, I had no independent existence – no life, no friends. I was just sitting, staring at walls.”
A neighbour who noticed him struggling suggested Health for All, a charity that has supported south Leeds communities for 35 years as part of the council-funded Better Together programme, which backs grassroots groups working to reduce isolation in deprived areas. Through Health for All, Colin joined a walking group and a men’s health group, where a new friend suggested he try the local choir, the Middle-Tones. His confidence grew from there, and last year he auditioned successfully for the Leeds Male Voice Choir – founded in 1916 and one of the best-known choirs in northern England – winning a place as a baritone.
He said: “Taking those initial first steps opened a lot of doors for me and changed my life pretty much overnight. I’ve gone from a place where I was living quite a lonely and reclusive existence and didn’t know how to talk to people, to actually having a life, enjoying myself and being happy.” The impact on his mental health, he added, has been “staggering” – and he still can’t quite believe people pay to hear him sing.
Colin’s is one story among many in a report that points to Leeds’ 3,375 voluntary, community and faith sector organisations as a defining strength of the city. It highlights the Leeds Community Anchor network, a group of 30 organisations that coordinates Welcome Spaces where people can find warmth, a hot drink and company – drawing 65,653 visits over the winter of 2024-25 alone. More than 300 Community Champions, speaking over 40 languages, now share trusted health information across communities, while 34 neighbourhood networks supporting older people’s health recorded 103,172 visits to 751 activities between April and June 2025. The report also points to the work of Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (GATE), which supports a community facing significant health inequalities. It flags opportunities to build on this further, including longer-term investment, scaling up what works, and prioritising communities facing the greatest health inequalities.
Eaton said: “Our communities help create good health in many ways, from everyday acts of kindness between neighbours to services and communities working closely together. There is a lot to be proud of in Leeds. As this report, and Colin’s story, shows, great work is already taking place across the city and we must continue to harness opportunities to further strengthen this way of working to improve the health of all.”
Councillor Emma Flint, the council’s executive member for equality, adults and health, said: “Communities give us a feeling of belonging and a connection to others as well as ensuring access to health and wider services; their power cannot be underestimated when it comes to protecting and improving people’s health. We remain committed to ensuring community-centred approaches are central to our work to improve health in Leeds, to meet the needs of everyone who calls our vibrant and diverse city home.”
The full report and an accompanying film are available at observatory.leeds.gov.uk/dph-report.
