In August 2020, Ad-Lib Training supported the Southall Active Communities team in their plan, as part of the Let’s Go Southall project to make the residents of Southall both mentally and physically healthier. Funded by Sport England as part of their local delivery pilot scheme, the initiative brings local community groups, businesses, faith groups, charities, volunteers and a variety of service providers (including the NHS) to support local people to get moving.
Ad-Lib Training delivered our Outdoor Activator course to local people to help them to engage their community in physical activity using local outdoor spaces. The course gave the activators the skills and confidence to organise and lead activity, engage the community, and animate their outdoor spaces.
In October 2020 the Southall team’s plan was to build a programme that enabled any member of the community who wanted to participate in an outdoor gym workout to take part in a session. They also wanted to expand the programme to every park in Southall to build leadership capacity in the community. It wasn’t about just providing new sports facilities and hoping that local people would utilise them, they wanted to empower their residents to make a sustainable and long-lasting change to their physical activity habits.
It seems that they are succeeding in their mission as this month saw Let’s Go Southall launch three new inclusive and accessible outdoor gyms alongside the existing offering at Southall Park. They already deliver a diverse programme of free community and physical activities including yoga, cycling, parkrun, healthy eating sessions, walking and knitting. Our volunteer Activators are still delivering outdoor gym sessions and finding that the experience continues to empower both them and their community.
Southall seems to be leading the way in how to not only engage and influence its residents to enjoy a healthier lifestyle but maintain it too. By harnessing local community spirit, they have created a social movement that encourages residents to develop their own solutions that help people to make lasting positive lifestyle changes using local support networks and meaningful, personal connections.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW THE AD-LIB TRAINING OUTDOOR ACTIVATOR COURSE CAN HELP TO TRANSFORM THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS OF YOUR COMMUNITY CLICK HERE OR CONTACT US AT INFO@ADLIBTRAINING.COM
By Rebecca Bridge
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Email info@adlibtraining.com or contact Rebecca directly r.bridges@adlibtraining.com
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