This week we are looking at some Super Heroes who are all Ambassadors For The Active Essex All Together Programme. This aims to support those with Long Term Health Conditions (LTHC’s) which may be visible or invisible and Disabilities to Access Sport and Exercise that is inclusive. The team of volunteers work tirelessly across Essex as a community to inspire, share and support others through their work. Here you’ll meet members of the team taking part in the Superheroes At Home Winter Wonderlands Challenge.
So get ready for ‘Marvel’s’ adventure and some truly inspirational superstars!
Welcome to the At Home Winter Wonderland Superheroes Challenge!
The Essex All Together programme is a campaign running across Essex to support those with LTHC’s to be more active. Despite many people with a disability or long term health condition wanting to increase exercise levels many are likely to be less active and in some cases Active Essex report that the number could be up to 70%.
Therefore, the establishment of 47 Ambassadors for the programme have taken on the roles of inspiring, promoting, supporting and delivering activities specifically for this target group. The work is diverse and each ambassador brings something special to the team. They have also stepped up the volume over lockdown and addressed the problems and obstacle’s that people have and still will face because of the pandemic. Live content, social media increases, at home exercising, tips to stay active around the house through difficult times and regular newsletters are just a few of the support mechanisms that have been established.
Time now to focus on a group on ambassadors taking up The Superheroes Winter Wonderland Challenge!
Superheroes Background
What could be a better way to promote the achievement of the whole team than something that reaches a large audience than participating in the only Disability sports series with fun, full blown mass participation events? Somewhere that Disabled people (Super Heroes) are in charge and the sidekicks are there to push, pull, cheer and do whatever is necessary for the Super Hero to succeed on a whole new level, which is set by each individual taking part. That is what this programme aims to do. A great addition is that whatever aids are required can be utilised and there are no cut off times which can be barriers to participation. For all challenges you can either fly solo or team up with family and friends to do as much or as little as you wish, with as much or as little support as you need. The Superheroes Website will provide you with more in depth programme descriptions and details of other up and coming events.
Team Essex
This is a true group effort, discussed over a Zoom meeting led by our Superhero leader Hayley Chapman at Active Essex. Her leadership and the full support of the Active Essex Board Members meant this would be a mission that was never going to result in failure. Billy Mansell has led the way with this project alongside his smaller sidekick (son) becoming an internet sensation since the first lockdown began. Already competing in his own ‘At Home' and full Triathlon events in his full Spiderman costume, his story led to a number of the other Disability Sports Ambassadors using their own stories and journeys to actually complete the challenge, to those helping to keep them motivated, helping with fundraising and those following their stories for ideas and activities to support others across the county!
The Superheroes Winter Wonderland Challenge
The Winter Wonderland At Home Event has been a great addition to the programme and has been essential for many with LTHC’s and Disabilities missing the other events during the pandemic. Enabling people to move in their own way, but still having the sense of community and camaraderie and the same principles of a mass event with options to fly solo, add a sidekick or two or work as a team. So from the 5 November to the 6 December each Ambassador pledged to complete their own version of the 100m to 1000m or more distance, utilising whatever aids or ‘side-kicks’ needed to meet their target. This could be though exercise at home or out in their neighbourhoods either via walking, running, cycling, wheel row or pushing. These individuals distances will contribute to the whole team total. Not only that, they are really going like the London Marathon and making themselves look the part in their chosen superheroes outfits!
A super initiative was the Super Sensory programme which also ran for those with severe disabilities making this fascinating challenge something truly unique and accessible to absolutely everyone.
The Success Stories
With the finish line in site and to conclude their epic achievements yet another show of ‘Team Essex’ saw a virtual relay by some of the team! A great way to end an inspiring, positive and amazing sense of togetherness, highlighting what people with LTHC’s and disabilities can achieve!
Spider Man Billy Mansell (Captain) checked in and Donna Robinson (who has also been a strong advocate of Sport for Confidence, which she has promoted tirelessly through her regular video tips over the pandemic), was quick to be involved and getting her bat wings moving! Chris McLeod took on the role of Hulk having been inspired by others at the Zoom meeting. McLeod has also been a representative of Sport for Confidence and talked of his happiness in reaching and then surpassing his own goals in numerous video posts throughout the challenge including his own finish line celebration!
As captain Mansell felt like a dream was coming true to see an All Together Ambassador Team taking part together and was a strong motivation to so many and so an honour fully deserved.
Spiderbilly’s aim was to hit 500km with his Super Sidekick Son Noah and is rightly proud to have surpassed this by 55.3KM. Achieved through imaginative activities such as daily Miles, Superhero Adventures, Solo Cycling, walking, running, skating, obstacle courses at home, special waves at local care homes and locally sphere solo, as well as some challenges alongside fellow Superheroes and Essex All Together Team Members. Adaptions were required everyday to manage his Long Term Medical Conditions and disabilities, using rest days, Mindfulness, bathing therapy, stretching and rest days.
Mansell reports that;
‘We had so many special moments we will cherish, as a family, team and from a father perspective myself. Although, the best moments were seeing the ripple effect and joy this brought to others each time we stepped outside for our next mission, to see all ages and abilities react to us in such welcomed ways as we ventured outside was truly awesome, we could feel the Superhero Magic with us wherever we went, that feeling, was incredible powerful and motivating itself.
On a personal note, Robinson achieved 76.3KM despite not having a set goal of steps/kilometres due of an illness in her family on the eve of the first day, which left her thinking she might have to pull out at the last minute leaving her quite rightly impressed with the final results. She utilised a combination of her wheelchair (wheeling and walking), adapting with her walking frame when tired, her apple watch/Apple Health App which helped her to monitor progress, street tag to plan routes and a web link called Superheroes Race Log and that was recommended by the company that supported the team throughout the challenge.
Robinson established a set routine everyday walking in Part 1 and then transferring to her chair to wheel herself down hill on her chosen route for Part 2!
Of the challenge Donna says’ I felt the challenge was a great motivational tool and really helped me to break up the day during lockdown 2 and I definitely would take up the opportunity to do a challenge like it again if I was ever asked to!’.
Sasha Judge utilised a combination of the recumbent bike, walking and sphere sessions with some fellow ambassadors, surpassing her goal of 100KM by hitting 117 km! Her sphere sessions become the favourite despite the need for adaptations to be made and more importantly Judge feels the challenge will help her to be more active in future! Plus she now has a new skill for tracking her exercise by utilising an online steps to km converter.
Chris McLeod set his goal to jog over 2000 laps up and down his hallway and he managed to smash this target which he reported was great motivation to keep him moving. McLeod enjoyed pushing himself to do the challenge and used a health app on his phone to monitor his progress and record his laps.
Although Kierran Pearce didn't have a distance goal as such, he was just happy to be a part of the team! Despite the struggles he has with technology this didn’t stop him from using the what’s app group to keep in touch with others and to help plan the final day schedule to conquer his final total! Pearce enjoyed seeing everyone else getting involved and smashing their targets finding this was great motivation during another difficult lockdown.
Also involved in the team and their distances achieved were;
Alex Turley with 14.1KM, Lucy Hodges a massive 194.2KM, Matthew Robinson Jayes with 76.6KM and a huge 380KM from Samantha Holmes!
At the time of writing the team amassed a huge total of 1630.6KM! A fantastic outcome for everyone involved and worthy of celebration.
This page Support Team Essex highlights the ambassadors reasons for taking part.
Everyone played their part as equals and have not only shared inspiration to others but supported their own mental and physical health by making the challenge unique and personalised. This demonstrates the ability to adapt, show sheer determination and learn new skills, try out new activities and work as a community despite the difficultly of living with Long Term Health Conditions and Disabilities.
The Active Essex Foundation
This intrepid set of adventurers don’t just have the medal, T-shirt and the determination to help others through their sport and exercise achievements, but their heart extends further in the race to raise additional funds to be reinvested into The Active Essex Foundation, enabling more people to be supported with grants to access courses, set up sessions and purchase specialist equipment. With the foundation determined to drive down inequalities in exercise provision and social deprivation across the County.
Looking Forward
The work of the Ambassadors never ends! With our monthly focuses already in place for 2021 we look forward to supporting, inspiring, promoting and delivering a wide range of activities, as well as highlighting special events in the calendar. This will help you kick off the new year on a high, starting with better health and fitness. Then enabling you to access or support the accessibility of exercise and sport within your local community or from the comfort of your own home!
Superhero Marvels - The Sequel!!!
Look out for something a little different next week. The Ambassadors ‘Uncut’, is a unique insight into each Superhero who participated. It’s everything they wanted to say about the challenge and experiences, their success and achievements in their own words and not the edited version you’ve just read!
Followed on the 27th by; Winter Warmers to Keep You Active Through To January!
With dark mornings, shorter days with less sunshine and cold wet weather seeping through our aching bodies, it can be hard to find the motivation to continue exercising, especially if your main activity is outside. Then imagine having a LTHC or Disability. This can be even more challenging. So this is pure and simply some winter motivation including;
The facts
You aren’t alone!
Some Top Tips to manage health & Well Being
Motivational Programmes and Activities Available to support you.
Let’s put things into perspective, acknowledge the troubles we face and then find some encouraging words to keep moving forward through difficult times. Sport & Exercise could be a real comfort with the Governments Christmas Rules in place.