At Support Staffordshire, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are at the heart of everything we do. As we continue to celebrate the remarkable work of our members, we’re shining a light on those who champion inclusivity and create opportunities for all. Today, we’re proud to share the story of Burton Unity—a group whose mission is to empower women from all backgrounds and cultures. Through their dedication, they offer support, resources, and a sense of belonging that helps women thrive, overcome barriers, and reach their full potential.
By sharing their journey, we hope to inspire others. We also want to highlight the vital role inclusivity plays in building stronger, more connected communities—making Staffordshire a place where everyone can flourish.
From Inspiration to Action: The Story Behind Burton Unity
Nestled in the heart of Burton upon Trent, Burton Unity opens its doors as a welcoming beacon for women and families seeking connection, support, and opportunity. The vision was simple yet powerful: to create a space where women from underrepresented communities could feel safe, supported, and inspired to take charge of their health and wellbeing. What began as a dream has blossomed into a vibrant movement of empowerment, connection, and transformation.
Founded by Shamreen Gulzaar, whose own journey revealed the lack of inclusive spaces for women to flourish, Burton Unity was born from the belief that everyone deserves a place to belong. Inspired by her passion for netball and the absence of opportunities for women like her, Shamreen set out to create safe, welcoming environments where women could participate in activities, build confidence, and become advocates for their own wellbeing.
Listening First, Acting Together: Co-Creating Health and Wellbeing
At the heart of Burton Unity is a simple but powerful belief: when women are empowered, entire communities flourish. The group’s approach is rooted in peer learning, nurturing confidence, knowledge, and leadership among women, and encouraging each to become an advocate for their own health—and for others around them.
Trust and shared experience are the threads that weave this community together. Through storytelling, women connect across backgrounds, sharing real-world barriers and building relationships that strengthen the fabric of Burton upon Trent. These stories are more than words—they are bridges, helping women see themselves not just as participants, but as changemakers.
Wellbeing at Burton Unity is accessible and joyful. Activities are designed to welcome everyone, from fitness and walking to cycling and culturally relevant healthy-eating projects. Each session is a celebration of movement, nourishment, and belonging, tailored to meet women where they are.
Leadership flourishes from within. Women are inspired to step forward, shape local initiatives, and lay the foundations for a new generation of community leaders. Burton Unity’s philosophy is clear: when women step forward, they inspire others to do the same, creating a ripple effect of positive change that reaches families, friends, and the wider community.
“We listened to what the women in our community wanted and delivered what they needed,” says Shamreen Gulzaar, CEO and Co-Founder of Burton Unity. “They deserve a place of belonging and a place to thrive.”
Yoga as a Catalyst for Belonging
What began as a simple idea—creating a space where women could try something new together—has grown into a quiet revolution for wellbeing and connection. One of Burton Unity’s first projects reached women who had never had the chance to explore fitness, particularly in high-deprivation areas.
From the very first session, the tone was clear: a safe, welcoming space built on love, trust, and belonging. Women arrived to move, to breathe, and to reconnect with themselves—and with each other. In that room, healing felt possible, friendship felt natural, and kindness set the pace.
Soon, the weekly class became more than exercise. It became a shared journey—a movement for wellbeing and self-worth that invited every woman to take part at her own pace, and to be celebrated for simply showing up.
A year on, the ripple effects are unmistakable. Confidence has grown, new friendships have taken root, and women are stepping forward to lead—bringing daughters, sisters, and friends along with them. Health conversations—heart health, movement, mindset—now happen naturally, woven into everyday life as the space has blossomed into a true community.
As one participant reflected, when women invest in their health, they transform their families and communities. It’s a simple truth, lived and shared—one week at a time.
Routes & Boots: Extending Burton Unity into Green Spaces
As Burton Unity continued to grow, women began asking for more opportunities to connect beyond indoor spaces—places where they could move, talk, and simply breathe. In response, Burton Unity developed Routes & Boots, an outdoor wellbeing programme rooted in the same values of trust, safety, and belonging that define all of its work.
Launched in April 2024, Routes & Boots introduced women—many for the first time—to walking and hiking in green spaces. What might appear simple was, for many, deeply meaningful: travelling outside familiar areas, stepping onto a trail, and giving themselves permission to take up space outdoors as a group.
True to Burton Unity’s approach, the walks were never just about physical activity. Women walked side by side, sharing stories, laughter, and moments of reflection. The outdoors became another setting for connection—supporting mental wellbeing, easing isolation, and strengthening relationships built through Burton Unity’s wider programmes.
By removing practical and emotional barriers—such as transport, confidence, and unfamiliarity—Burton Unity helped women feel that green spaces were for them too. As Routes & Boots developed, it began to influence others locally, with organisations exploring similar walking initiatives inspired by what women were achieving together.
From Insight to Impact: Turning Research into Action
At Burton Unity, change begins with listening. Commissioned by Support Staffordshire, the Community Needs Analysis Study in diabetes was more than a research project—it was a journey into the heart of the community, guided by trust, cultural understanding, and the lived experiences of local women and families.
The study highlighted a simple truth: family habits shape health, and trust is the key to engagement. By inviting women to share their stories and perspectives, Burton Unity uncovered the real barriers to diabetes prevention—cultural beliefs, gender roles, and the need for spaces where everyone feels safe and heard. Empowerment was at the core, with confident women influencing generations and community-led spaces filling up quickly, a testament to the demand for initiatives that truly resonate.
As the work deepened, Burton Unity explored how family, culture, and everyday habits impact diabetes risk. The next phase focused on identifying gender and cultural barriers, empowering women as drivers of family health, and bridging the gap between services and communities. This approach—built on trust and co-creation—turned research into real change for families in Burton upon Trent.
Prevention became action, Burton Unity expanded its programmes to address both prevention and wellbeing in practical, accessible ways. Each week, they brought people together for fitness and outdoor activities—walking, cycling, canoeing, rounders, netball, Pilates, and kickboxing. Healthy eating projects tackled obesity and transformed family food habits, while women’s health awareness sessions covered heart health, menopause, mental health, and postnatal wellbeing. Family-focused programmes created generational change, supporting mothers to lead healthier families and building a legacy of wellbeing rooted in trust, culture, and belonging.
Working in Partnership: Support that Strengthens Community-Led Change
Like many grassroots organisations, Burton Unity’s growth has been strengthened through partnership. Support Staffordshire has played a supportive role as an ally—providing modest grant funding, encouragement, and opportunities to share learning.
Funding support helped Burton Unity pilot early initiatives, including women-only Yoga sessions and the community needs analysis work that reached women and families who had long been overlooked. Both the women-only yoga classes and the pioneering community needs assessment in diabetes were funded through grants awarded from Support Staffordshire’s lottery-funded Healthy Communities project. These investments opened doors for those who needed them most.
But the support went far beyond funding. From the very beginning, Support Staffordshire saw the value in Burton Unity’s vision—trusting lived experience over formal credentials and believing in the power of passion and commitment to transform lives.
This partnership approach has respected Burton Unity’s independence and community voice. Support Staffordshire has not sought to lead or reshape the work, but instead has amplified it—creating space for Burton Unity to grow at its own pace, remain rooted in lived experience, and build credibility within the wider VCSE and statutory landscape. This balance of trust, light-touch support, and belief in community leadership has allowed Burton Unity to stay authentic while strengthening its reach, governance, and long-term sustainability.
From First Steps to Lasting Legacies
Burton Unity’s recent presentation at the Southeast VCSE Healthy Communities Alliance received enthusiastic acclaim from both VCSE partners and statutory stakeholders, underscoring the broad recognition of its innovative, community-led approach. Participants praised the project’s tangible impact and its role in empowering women, with several noting the ripple effect such empowerment has on families and wider community health. The appetite for collaboration was clear: several organisations expressed interest in partnering on similar initiatives, while others offered to share insights and suggested that Burton Unity’s model could inform future sessions. The overall response highlighted a shared belief in the power of community-led, culturally sensitive health and wellbeing initiatives, and a collective commitment to learning from and building upon Burton Unity’s success.
The organisation is proving it is more than a community group—it’s a place of welcome, kindness, and transformation. By empowering women, engaging families, and resourcing trusted local organisations, they are bridging the gap between services and communities. The generational impact of their work is profound, and the community is ready for solutions that meet them where they are.