We want to share with you the fantastic achievements of organisations that are close to our hearts here at Time To Heal. This is a way to celebrate, inspire, and share best practice which could enable so many people to access better health, mental health and fitness across a range of diverse programmes, activities, insights and more.
Prepare to be amazed and inspired whilst utilising these special groups and how the work of all culminates in a maze of opportunities to work together, support each other and move on facing all the challenges of COV-ID and existing Long Term Health Conditions (LTHC’s) head on.
Join us as we show how everyone can achieve something whether that’s better health, increased physical activity or a love of all things nature.
We will begin with a focus on the main organisations that we work alongside here at Time To Heal, before sharing some new programmes and opportunities which we hope you will enjoy…
The Pituitary Foundation Fundraising events builds on our at One With Nature blog, with their fantastic fundraising efforts through a beautiful trek and a crazy abseil, whilst we’ll look at Active Essex and their latest impact statements which includes the huge achievement of engaging 600 people in Essex to local walking groups, not forgetting We are Undefeatable's who have just released their latest data which shows great progression for the programme, but some stark statistics about how lockdown has affected people with LTHC’s and disabilities! If that wasn’t enough for you then there are a few ‘newbies’ on the horizon with Activity Alliance re-vamping their inclusive sport resources, plus Race at Your Pace makes an entry!
So whether you are a coach, instructor, athlete, home exerciser or adrenaline junkie then there's something here for everyone to enjoy, explore, connect with or keep you busy for a few minutes!
The Pituitary Foundation UK
So now it’s time to paint the trail orange! It’s no secret that charities are struggling to survive through the corona outbreak with the CEO Menai Owen-Jones of the Pituitary Foundation stating that;
‘Community events are our biggest income streams which account for approximately £120,000 of our total income’ (Pituitary Life, Autumn 2020)
However, utilising their base in Bristol and the Natural areas of beauty surrounding them they have optimised the ability to be ‘stay safe COVID fundraisers’. With low registration fees and fundraising targets places filled thick and fast. There may have been less participants but the results are incredible!
At the forefront Mr Jay Sheppard step forward! An ingenious, diligent and passionate organiser, participant, volunteer and safety expert backed by his fabulous team both in the office and out, paid and volunteered, the results have been outstanding.
The challenge brings a vast array of people who are now inspired and either signed up again or hopefully new people actually enjoying being out in the environment surrounding them. It’s a ‘win-win’ situation made even more impressive by the fact that some of these participants have Pituitary conditions themselves and show how this can help show / prove to themselves that we can still achieve something. It doesn’t have to be on this scale and that’s what these updates are all about.
We have all the different levels here. The target audience could well be bolstered by the way in which ‘lockdown’ and then ‘restrictions’ have always allowed for the great outdoors to be accessed for exercise and therefore a sequence of these events are likely to be more profitable than any other right now! Just 38 people managed to raise over £10,000 by abseiling the Avon Gorge in Bristol which is an amazing effort in these difficult times.
If you are feeling inspired then click here to begin your journey! There are three great options at the moment with a 4 Falls Trek, London landmark half Marathon and The Avon Gorge Abseil!
Addison’s Disease
For those who are not familiar with Addisons Disease It is a rare Endocrine Condition where the adrenal glands can longer produce Cortisol and this needs replacing. It is a potentially life threatening conditions and patients need to carry emergency injections in case of a ‘crisis’. You can find out more here. However, if someone has this condition they need to ensure they have taken the appropriate medication to keep them safe while exercising as stress and anxiety can lead to a crisis in itself, not to mention all the worry over the pandemic, so some top tips coming.
Click here to access a supportive and regular updated Corona Virus help and support document which expands on the topics listed below;
1. Protecting Yourself
2. Preparing for Emergencies
3. Managing Your Medication
4. Keeping Informed
5. Managing Employment and Finances
6. Getting About Safely
7. Recovering from COVID-19
8. Children and Schools
These may be aimed at those with Addison’s Disease but really they are guidelines that anyone with a LTHC would find helpful. They also have a link where you can check if you need to shield or not and how that changes if your area is moved into a higher level on the three tier programme.
Active Essex and The All Together Active Essex Programme
Azeem Akhtar - Chair, Active Essex reflects on the achievements of his team here. he reports that;
‘This impact report has many stories from around the county that show the success of our different programmes, projects, and approaches. I am particularly proud of the work of our 400 ambassadors, 330 schools engaged in the Daily Mile and School Games events, the thousands of walk leaders, care homes that have started physical activity sessions, and the fantastic work of our 14 Activity Networks and our Local Delivery Pilot. A cornerstone of our work has been our commitment to partnerships and collaboration with a wide variety of organisations and stakeholders’.(https://www.activeesseximpact.org/azeem-foreword)
Following on from this we now have another great resource to share, called Helping Hand. You’ll find indoor and outdoor activities, You Tube Workouts, health and well being and some nutritional advice creating programmes that will help to ensure your bodies are fit and strong in the fight against Corona and the added benefit of knowing that you are doing your bit to help others.
The Essex All Together programme has also been highly successful during 2019-2020 and aims to support those with LTHC’s and disabilities to access sport and exercise at their own level. The success has been incredible. There are now 45 ambassadors across the county, over 100,000 people have been reached and supported and a 3.7% increase in the participation of disabled people in Essex. Some highlights of the impact statement.
If you are a regular to the All Together Facebook page you will be well aware of Billy Ray Mansell and his diary entries in a Spiderman costume! He is quoted as saying;
‘I joined the Essex All Together ambassador programme when I was struggling with my physical health and mental wellbeing. Becoming an ambassador was part of what gave me more confidence and drove me to pursue physical activity. It's great to be working alongside so many other inspiring ambassadors.”('https://www.activeesseximpact.org/ambassador-programme)
The full details of The Ambassador programmes with which we are involved in can be found here. You can also watch a webinar and see the impact in your area of Essex or dip into one of the other areas of success.
Keep up to date on the Essex All Together Facebook Page and the Active Essex Facebook Page. You’ll find handy tips, videos, posts, activity ideas, inspirational stories and all the latest programmes as and when they are launched.
The We Are Undefeatables Campaign
As mentioned above this Campaign sat back a bit to enable some impact surveys based on the programme launched over lockdown. Now they are back! You may have seen the new advert on TV or via the email if you have signed up to the newsletter. If not then that’s something you could really benefit from! Their recent survey states that 45% of people are still concerned about going outside to exercise and chart taken from their latest Webinar also showed that 4 in 10 are doing less Physical Activity and of those 33% come from the shielding group. (Sport England’s Physical Attitudes and behaviours study).
So now the team is asking people to get behind the Campaign and share all the great resources as well as using and implementing them into your daily routine or even to your activity or sporting sessions, whether online or in person. Something crucial with this is the forthcoming winter weather and how that will affect the exercise patterns of those with long term health problems. However, you need to understand the programme and it’s progressive nature so we’ll look at it as a five step process;
Firstly watch the advert to see what the campaign entails by clicking here.
Get the idea! Essentially we are focused on providing some form of enjoyable activity regardless or ability, access to equipment, classes or barriers to those with any LTHC or disability.
Secondly browse through the 'Tangible Tools To Help People Get Moving’
You can find assets and further information on the Supporters Hub.
Five in Five: create your own fully customisable mini-workout to complete 5 x 1 minute rounds of movement in a way that works for you. Visit the printable exercise cards here.
We Are Undefeatables Leaflet and Activity Poster available on the Getting Started page which has 10 minutes of activity on it.
Thirdly, try out some of the activities and see how they can help.
If you are a coach or instructor perhaps you could incorporate some of the ideas into your sessions or signpost to others. Even printing the cards, laminating them and then creating a little ‘exercise circuit’ would be great and you could also make some of your own to utilise. A good resource for carers as well so you can exercise with the person that you are looking after, could be beneficial to both.
Up next is the fourth step;
For this one we head over to Facebook to access the My Daily Undefeatables Chatbot: Organise some check in’s with Chat Bot on how you’ve been moving on a certain day, how it made you feel and how you might move tomorrow. Head straight over to We Are Undefeatable Facebook page to begin that conversation. You’ll also see a video that shows you how it looks in real life. But a welcome message each day, every other day or each week could brighten someones day, especially if they can share which of the 5 in 5 workouts with a cyber conversation that will praise their efforts!
Finally, that fifth and very important last step on the ladder. Feel like helping to spread the word about this? The team have released ‘some copy’ inspiration to re-share the new advert or any of the posts on social media from 09:00am on the 1st October’: using one of the below options will make it easier and help to spread the word;
The #WeAreUndefeatable campaign, developed by 15 leading health and social care charities, is back on TV, helping to inspire people with long term health conditions to safely get active as it turns colder. Find out more on their website: We Are Undefeatable @undefeatable
The @undefeatable campaign is back on TV this autumn, helping to support people living with long term health conditions to safely get active in a way that works for them during the colder months. Learn more: We Are Undefeatable. #WeAreUndefeatable
When it comes to getting active, it’s all about finding what works for you that day. This autumn, the @undefeatable campaign is back on TV to support people living with long term health conditions to safely get active. Find out more: We Are Undefeatable. #WeAreUndefeatable
Quick and simple to do and a great way to let all your friends and family know about this programme in just a few minutes. You may think this is an exaggeration but we feel that starting a programme like this is potentially life changing.
Other Health, Exercise & Well Being Groups
We promised some new! So here you are;
Firstly, Activity Alliance is highly involved in the delivery of sport and exercise delivery for those with disabilities and long term health conditions. They support clubs, schools, National Programmes and run events, training and essential research. In relation to their latest work which is aimed at the current times we live in with exercise delivery looking very different since lockdown sparked such great online content. An ever exhausting list but with many taking their provision online are they actually meeting the inclusivity of our target audience? So here comes some vital guidance and information. Firstly, Sarah Brown-Fraser, Marketing and Communications at Activity Alliance, said:
“With our partners and members, Activity Alliance is striving for fairness for disabled people in sport and activity. We believe to be truly effective in marketing and communications, it needs to be inclusive and accessible.
She continues;
“With a lot more activities going online now, our new videos are timely in helping organisations to buy-in to the principles. The last thing we want to see is the digital divide getting wider and people missing out on activities. We are here to help you to become a more inclusive organisation. These resources are one way to do just that.”
The six videos cover the following topics and can be accessed by clicking here.
Understanding the case for inclusive communication in sport and activity
Understanding your audience
Positive content and imagery
Digital and social media
Fonts, colours and imagery
Accessible communications on a budget in sport and leisure
Using the same link you can also download a range of PDF documents produced in 2018 working alongside Sport England and Big Voice Communications. These were produced in part to improve communication and recognising that those with disabilities and LTHC’s face additional barriers to the way in which they can access technology safely and effectively. Topics include social media, language and budgets.
See the research details from the Understanding The Barriers To Participation 2012 programme for more details. There is also a YouTube Playlist that can be accessed here.
Finally, Race at Your Pace
This is a virtual event that is a good idea for anyone to participate in as there are so many levels up for grabs, but it’s meant to ‘replace’ the real races and events that sports people around the world are missing at this time. There is a payment involved in this one if you want to participate properly and end up with a medal or a medal and a t-shirt. Each month has a different colour so for those seeking cheap sports kit and the motivation to get racing then the £10 or £14 options aren’t too bad and you can still watch your medal cabinet grow despite the normal events you may enter being unavailable during the pandemic. Possibly a lot cheaper than most sports races as well!
All you do is select the sport you would like to enter, with a wide ranging choice from Running, Walking, Cycling or Swimming. Then you select a target distance that you wish to aim for. Next you actually get moving! You have a full month to complete your challenge and then submit your evidence. They recommend that you track yourself through technology but that is not essential. Tracker Sheets can be downloaded here if you are missing the vital smart watch or app technology.
In terms of levels the first step is literally that Steps! Challenges range from 1000-15000 making this highly accessible. Then we can look at something more adventurous like the Swimming where you can start at 1 mile and head up to 50! So a real range for anyone.
There are also some Challenges For Children which is a fantastic idea. All the family can get involved and a free Tracker Sheet can be downloaded from the website. You will need this sheet if your child / children want to take part, submit the evidence and if you want a medal they pay £7.
There is even a store where there are hoodies and T-shirts that make you a part of the ‘club', although it is virtual! Click here for their full range. Plus got further question? Then this FAQ page should tell you what you need to know.
An important point to be aware of is that if you set your challenge too high you don’t need to worry. Medals are awarded once your results are in so you can be rewarded for what you have achieved and not what you haven’t.(just remember to change your goal before the date given in your registration email) A touch of positivity in amongst a world of negativity. Plus it will help you pace and select your next challenge properly. This is perfect for those with LTHC’s and disabilities especially as it eases your pressure to complete a session if you aren’t well enough to do anything at times throughout the month.
If you don’t want the medal, certificate or top and are highly motivated then simply set your own challenge, get your technology out and get moving by yourself using this as a guide. You could make certificates as a family. If you just want to arrange something in your ‘group of 6’ would be great, You could just meet each day, exercise and record what you do in someway so you can track your progress. Take it in turns to provide some kind of reward for your efforts at the end of a session, weekly meet or Face time/Zoom meeting! The idea is there and what you do with is up to you!
We hope that you have enjoyed some reflection on achievements, success, best practice and ideas to help you move forward in your own way with you health and fitness journey. For us a chance to share some new material and celebrate things that we feel a part of. Take care, be safe, pace carefully, support each other and enjoy some great exercise, advocacy, interest or new activity!
Coming up over the next three weeks - are these the secrets to improved performance?
Following on from that our next series will also tackle some of these issues as we look a some ‘secret activities’ that can not only support the mental health of those players and exercise participants but have a huge effect on their actual performance within a session, starting out on the road to good mental health and supporting those at the very lowest level of participation to move up another level and actually access something that is more structured and tailored around their needs. We’ll scroll through some craft, relaxation and visualisation. Time to think outside the box again!
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