Project aimed to reach out to people with disabilities who had been shielding or isolated during Covid19 and had been struggling to find the motivation to get active during the lockdown period.
We have identified people to work with for this project through various methods.
We have reached out to the community through people who our colleagues already work with at Wilts CIL across the Community Connector PCN & HIU service and the Direct Payment Support Services that we run.
We ran a poster campaign across our social media platforms to highlight the project and look for any individuals who like to get involved and be supported to get active in their community.
We have also linked with other organisations to find people who could benefit from the support offered through this work.
We have then identified their individual/specific needs through asset-based conversations to discover what they would like to achieve, what being more active means to them and how being more active will contribute towards their good life.
We have reached and engaged with a wide and diverse group of people with a variety of health conditions and disabilities throughout this project. When working with individuals we create bespoke ways to help them become more active, either in their own home, within the community or engaging with groups.
We are currently working with 20 individuals on a 1:1 basis, some examples of how we have been working with people include:
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A young lady really wanted to get into sport/exercise (she was really active before) after an injury which now means she needs to use a wheelchair to get around. She did not have the confidence or contacts to find new places where she could participate as all her links to sports groups/clubs beforehand were with able-bodied/walking groups. She was supported to sourcing new groups and activities/sports which she may be interested in. We also set her up with a trial day with an experienced instructor who works across multiple wheelchair/disability sports so she could explore new ideas/opportunities.
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We worked alongside a lady who is socially very isolated and wanted to go out for walks but needed someone to do this with due to being unsteady on her feet and having a visual impairment. She was linked up with a couple of different walking groups as well and a walking buddy scheme so that she can find someone to do this with and become more active and feel part of her community again.
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We have worked with a man whose disability has meant that recently he has had to rely on a wheelchair. He has a job but struggles to go to and from work independently as he cannot lift his wheelchair in and out of the car himself. His goal is to get stronger so he will be able to do this himself and become more independent. Some home work out routines he could do to help his strength where suggested to him and we also introduced him to a disability specific personal trainer who is now helping him with a bespoke program to help him gain his independence.
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We have been working with a lady who really wanted to do a fun type of exercise as she finds generic exercise such as going to the gym/walking boring and uninteresting. She has been supported to join a local trampolining club who have disability specific sessions which made her feel more comfortable. She was struggling with finding a way to re-arrange her week to fit in exercise and her work commitments so we also worked together to re-adjust her routine each week so she could make time for herself and improve her mental and physical well-being. She contacted us through social media as she really wants to lose weight and do more exercise.
We have also completed a social media campaign called ‘month of movement’ which we designed specially to appeal to a wide variety of ages and abilities. Throughout the month of this campaign we posted a different exercise each day which people could do in their own homes with little/no equipment (to ensure the majority could take part). We ensured we kept the range of activities diverse and that each activity had varying difficulty levels to appeal to a wide audience. We asked a variety of people with and without disabilities to demonstrate these exercises to ensure we appealed/reached a greater audience. The 30 inclusive exercises were posted on Instagram and TikTok and were viewed 9466 times. This short video captures the highlights of Month of Movement - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=763501524499543
Impact
This project is having a positive impact on communities and organisations within the community. We are highlighting, celebrating, and promoting the great work that is being done in local communities to support and facilitate people getting active and being part of their community. We have contacted over 35 groups to share what this piece of work is about and see how they can engage with and support people to get active in their communities.
We have been working with organisations to support them to be more inclusive, for example - Our Community Engagement Worker is meeting with a gym owner to see how he can make his gym more inclusive and accessible to all members of the community. Another example: we are working closely with a creative group who are aiming to deliver circus based activities (from acrobatics to costume making) who want to find more creative ways for people to become active and involved in their local community. We are working alongside them to shape these sessions and supporting them to find appropriate candidates for the sessions who we are already working with.
We have been running a Spotlight Campaign that puts the spotlight on organisations who are doing an excellent job at being inclusive and welcoming in their community. We are using our social media platforms to signpost people to places in their communities where they will feel safe and welcomed. An example of an organization that we have spotlighted is Inclusfit –
What we’ve learnt along the way
Trying new ways of doing things as a result of things not working or needing to be approached differently happens continuously. Often the people we are working with will try something which is suggested to them or which they feel they want to do and then it doesn’t work out and we have to re-explore new ideas and start from scratch.
A big learning curve has definitely been identifying what being ‘active’ means with each individual and understanding that it’s a very broad topic and doesn’t mean the same to everyone. An example of which is one person we have worked with needed support and advice around adjusting her meals times throughout the day. She was also really struggling with moving around her house as she felt it was messy and out of control. So, when working with this person to becoming ‘active’, we took a holistic approach and the support centred around how she could structure each day to make her body, mind, and house healthier and more comfortable to live in. Her ultimate goal was to lose weight (but did not feel safe or confident going outside and exercising) but actually by working on clearing her house, she is doing a lot of activity and movement which is now aiding this goal. It’s not always about joining a club or doing a generic sport, often simple tasks which you can do in the home can make a huge difference to someone’s overall well-being and happiness.
The most important element of this project has been the 1:1 work and supporting people think outside the box when it comes to how they can live a healthier lifestyle. It has become very clear that what most people need is just an extra bit of help to come up with creative ways to help them reach their goals. With the pandemic, so many things are closed and not re-opening, so now more than ever we need to be creative and think of innovative ways to support people.
Just as importantly, working with groups and organisations and helping educate and support them to be more inclusive is a crucial part of this work too, so for those who its appropriate for, we can link them up with these groups with confidence, knowing they are going to be in an environment where they will be made to feel comfortable and welcome.
Sustainability
It is crucial to make this work sustainable and we are working hard to ensure what we are currently doing has longevity.
Spotlighting organisations and highlighting the good work being done in the community contributes towards ensuring that it is sustainable for people of all abilities to get active and keep active. We did not want to create interest and opportunity for people for a month and then for them have no-where to go and pursue what they had learnt.
Communication is key to ensuring this project has a lasting impact. Conversations with organisations need to continue as well as constantly supporting new and current organisations to become more inclusive and welcoming to all members of the community.
The 1:1 support is really effective and is an important part of this work. It would complement the 1:1 work and add value and sustainability when (if appropriate) someone is linked with a group/club/organisation that they have a point of contact there who understand their needs and is there in the background for support if and when needed.
Many of the groups/clubs/organisations that we have come across and have worked with, spotlighted and referred to throughout this piece of work have been told about and asked to sign up to our #MakeSomeoneWelcome Campaign and to make a pledge to be inclusive. This enables us to continue working with and promoting the work that they are doing within their community.
This has been a really successful project, and Louise Hunt (Paralympian) has been a great project lead. We are sourcing other funding streams in order to keep her employed.