Marc Jobson, manager of Budleigh's health and wellbeing hub, writes for the Journal
The Budleigh Hub welcomes all ages. In my previous article I focused on the children who access the Hub nursery run by Carousel.
The other end of the demographic is our Activity Club.
The Club focusses on what people can achieve, rather than what they can’t. Staff encourage people to try new activities with the emphasis on taking part and enjoying it.
Talking of staff, the sessions are developed and run by Ally who brings much enthusiasm and direction to the sessions. Ally is aided by volunteers who help the sessions run smoothly.
Each day is structured around a seated exercise, a group walk, and a craft-based activity, ranging from glass painting to making mosaic tiles, followed by discussions and a quiz. A delicious lunch is also provided by our Launchpad Café.
The Club will soon be visiting Bicton Gardens, having won funding from Active Devon.
We started the Activity club last year as a stop gap between Covid lockdowns.
It was designed to bring people together, reduce loneliness and isolation and thus improve their wellbeing.
Recognising that people of every age can experience such feelings, we deliberately didn’t target a specific age group with our marketing. The wonderful result was yes, we had older people attend, but we also had a new mum and her baby come along to our sessions. The intergenerational mix gave great stimulation to the conversations and activity throughout the day.
The Club met again last week. They were joined by a lady who commented: “I have had such a wonderful day, I haven’t been out for nearly two years.”
Can you imagine the pain of shielding since the start of 2020 and only now venturing out in spring 2021? That is why we run the Club.
That is why it is vital for our community to get involved. That is what the Hub does, not just in the Activity Club but in all the other groups, sessions and organisations we support.
As Ally drew the Club to a close last week, a member said to Ally, “In all my life I have never experienced such kindness.”
The Activity Club runs on a Tuesday and Thursday 10am-2pm. Call us to book your space on 01395 446896 or email budleigh@westbank.org.uk
We’ll look forward to seeing you and lots of new faces, young and older, next time.
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