Nesta

Children’s centres, libraries, and family hubs can support local families and improve children’s development. Through our Fairer Start Local partnership, we worked with Leeds City Council to analyse anonymised data from libraries and Story Buses. We identified areas with low children’s book borrowing rates, poor language outcomes at age five, and high referrals to NHS Speech and Language Therapy - that were also under-served by their current library provision. In response, Leeds’ library services expanded their Story Bus routes to six underserved areas, providing fortnightly reading sessions, book lending, library sign-ups, and access to council services. Read more about the project: https://bit.ly/3DYiduO

Scotland needs bold action on home heating – but the latest changes to the Heat in Buildings Bill risk falling short. Nesta Scotland's sustainable future mission manager, Robin Parker, says "It looks to be a big missed opportunity to improve Scotland’s energy security." Nesta Scotland is calling for a Bill that would give confidence and direction to the heat pump industry, including looking again at linking switching to clean heating with house sales. ⬇️ Read our full response: https://bit.ly/4j9OhuG

There's a common misconception that heat pumps won't work for older homes. It's great to see new work by Historic England shining a light on the older properties in the UK that are successfully transitioning to clean energy with technology such as heat pumps ↘️ A recent survey from Nesta found that heat pump owners in Victorian or older properties were highly satisfied with their heat pump compared to their previous heating system. Our new website GetAHeatPump.org.uk is designed to give consumers all the information they need about upgrading to homes - from renovation tips to running costs.

How can behavioural change transform the future of food? 🥕 Nesta's Hugo Harper will be speaking at Future Food Movement's online event on the transformation of our food system, on Thursday 3 April 10-11AM ⏰ 📣 He’ll join industry leaders, farmers and innovators to explore everything from deeply ingrained habits and cost barriers to the complexities of shifting towards more sustainable practices, and how to develop strategies to promote lasting change in the food industry ⤵️

Being able to afford healthy food is a key factor to maintaining a healthy diet. But rising living costs and inflation are making that harder to achieve. While 11% of the UK population is officially classified as “food insecure”—having a risk of, or lack of access to, sufficient, varied food— in reality, a much larger proportion of people struggle to afford a healthy diet. Targeted interventions to tackle food insecurity like food banks, free school meals and the Healthy Start voucher scheme are a vital lifeline for many. But with the price of food rising, we need new strategies that reach more people, so that everyone can afford a healthy diet. Our new blog deep dives into why it’s getting more difficult to afford to eat healthily - and the policy solutions that could change the tide. https://bit.ly/3G2cTXS

🏡 To get to net zero, the UK will need to decarbonise homes at scale - and fast. We think that a coordinated approach to help households move to low-carbon heating at street or neighbourhood level should work hand in hand with the current individual pathway to switching to clean heat. How can the UK Government incentivise neighbourhoods to make the switch? In a new blog we explore the ways public grants and subsidies could support collective switching - and why restructuring current systems could be key ⤵️ https://bit.ly/4j6i8UZ

We are recruiting a Head of Nesta Cymru to lead our work in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 We believe our best route to impact in Wales is to influence policymakers in Wales across each of our missions. The Head of Nesta Cymru will work with senior influencers and decision-makers in Wakes to deliver this ambition and help achieve our mission goals. We're looking for a strong leader who is passionate about driving societal improvement and policy innovation, with a strong desire to use policy analysis and advocacy to deliver social change across the UK. If that sounds like you, apply by 28 April: https://lnkd.in/g9DBDxJX

Alcohol's contribution to our diets is small but significant: about 5% of calories purchased by adults in the UK. That might not sound like much, but small changes in diet can make a significant difference at a population level. At Nesta, we're committed to halving obesity through small but sustained changes to the nation’s health. Our latest blog dives into the role that alcohol has on our diets and explores a range of policies that could improve health outcomes for the UK, particularly for the most impacted. https://bit.ly/4c8rYDx

The Welsh Senedd has voted to restrict the promotion of unhealthy food items in certain ways in Wales, including multi-buy promotions in supermarkets, and placing unhealthy items at store checkouts. Similar restrictions have already been introduced in England ↪️ https://bbc.in/4iYGK1I Food marketing impacts what we eat and buy, so this is a positive step towards reducing obesity and improving health in Wales. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 In our calls for the 2026-2030 Senedd, we set out opportunities to go further to take action on health and reduce obesity: https://bit.ly/3EnXaS9