The Albion Foundation and Sandwell Council are delivering a range of fitness and social activities for Sandwell's residents and workforce over the Spring to improve their health and wellbeing.
The Active Greenspaces programme provides various outdoor activities in the parks including walks, exercise classes, stay and play toddler groups, wellbeing hubs, coffee mornings and more. These activities help combat social isolation by enabling participants to meet new people, decrease loneliness and improve mental health.
With funding from Sandwell Council, The Albion Foundation delivers a physical activity programme within the green space of each of the borough’s six towns with a focus to improve public health outcomes and increase physical activity levels of those who are inactive.
The programme has been running since July last year and has encouraged many people to get outside and be active. Its popularity has been boosted by the wide choice of activities to participate in apart from traditional sports, which has allowed participation by people of different circumstances and ages.
The sessions are in two seasonal phases, and the spring to summer activities, which are mainly held outdoors, are as follows:
- Outdoor fit/boot camps (Adult and children sessions)
- Health walks (Adult and family, family during school holidays)
- Sensory walks
- Walk and draw
- Coffee mornings
- Buggy walks and stay and play
- Family wellbeing (Mothers and toddlers/dads groups)
- Weight management (Fit baggies on tour)
- Forestry/environmental play (Family)
- Walk and draw (Adult/family)
- Yoga outside (Adult)
- Mini tennis/badminton (Adults/family)
- Gardening
- From fork to fork (Grow your own food)
- Community events
Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults, Social Care and Health said: “I’m delighted to see this exciting programme of activities, which will encourage those who may be physically inactive, suffering with mental health conditions or lacking the confidence and knowledge to use green spaces to improve their health and wellbeing.
“These activities will also help improve some of the adverse health implications due to inactivity and social isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic and provide social interaction opportunities for those who may be suffering with social isolation. I’m happy to see that the programme will also engage with people who work in Sandwell to make them aware of and encourage them to use and enjoy the benefits from our green space.
For further details on Greenspaces activities in each of Sandwell’s towns are available on The Albion Foundation website.