Spirit offers activities for people of all ages throughout Barnsley including postural stability and falls prevention, chair based exercise and movement to music. The sessions are open to all, including people with learning disabilities, older people, people recovering from mental illness, people recovering from stroke/ cardiovascular conditions and people at risk of falls.
The activity classes, which are recommended by local medical professionals, have been running successfully for some time and are well established in the community. To enhance the sessions Spirit sessions now include non-physical activity such as drama, art and entertainment as well as some social time, to help boost the wellbeing of participants and encourage social inclusion.
Spirit is coordinated by Shaw Lane CSA and is delivered by partners such as Healthy Bones, a local physical activity and wellbeing organisation, together with local people and members of the group who have specialist knowledge and skills to share.
At the same time as boosting the physical wellbeing of participants, Spirit sessions are great for increasing social inclusion which helps reduce social isolation and loneliness.
To ensure the sustainability of the group and to help increase self-worth of participants, Spirit aims to involve as many volunteers as possible. It is hoped over time the sessions will eventually be led by group volunteers.
These activity classes have been running successfully for some time at Shaw Lane and are well established. Creative Minds funding has enabled the team to expand the sessions and add non-physical activity. It is hoped over time the sessions will be eventually be coordinated by group volunteers.