ActivLives is a local charity, which relies on grants, trusts, donations, fundraising activities, sponsorship & commissions to enable us to provide & develop our services across Ipswich & Suffolk.
Supporting local people through active participation
We support local communities through different programmes that keep local residents fit, active and participative through the ActivHubs. With support from our volunteers and led by our qualified instructors, we conduct weekly sessions in different locations across Suffolk. These activities promote physical and mental wellbeing and encourage our members to get involved with their respective communities and make new friends.
ReBalance Programme
We run exercise programmes designed to help keep you mobile, active and independent. Specialised exercises can help make it easier to get out of a chair, stay steady on your feet, reduce your risk of falling, and increase your ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
Taking part in group exercise brings many benefits beyond improving just our physical health. It is a great way to meet new people, make friends and reduce feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Being part of a friendly group also provides encouragement, motivation and peer support. Knowing that others are there to exercise alongside you can make it easier to...
Several studies have shown that moving more and taking regular exercise can improve not only your physical health but also mental wellbeing. As we grow older, staying active is not only important but it is crucial in keeping a balanced and healthy lifestyle. A daily walk in the morning outside your house makes a big difference to your health. Or...
Case Study The Keep on Moving sessions support people over aged 55 to keep them mobile, active and independent. In East Bergholt, we have sessions every Tuesday. Mr. C, 70 years old, is part of the group. He found out about the session through a brochure.
“I suffer peripheral neuropathy and drop foot that affects my balance. It affects the strength in my legs. I have tried numerous things and these sessions seem to the best thing to me. I also go to the gym twice a week. I don’t miss these sessions except when I have special things to do,” he said.
Since joining the Keep on Moving sessions, he noticed that people have been telling him how he has improved.
“Other people notice more than I do. It’s a gradual improvement. There are things I couldn’t do before that I can do now and they come gradually since the time I am being here. Some people say I am walking better and standing up better,” he shared.
“I haven’t had a fall for quite a while since I have been coming here. Before, if I am on the ground, I wouldn’t be able to get up. Now I can,” he added. Being a part of the Keep on Moving session also gave him the opportunity to meet new people which has now become his support group.
“We have bonded as a group. We have fun together and encourage each other. Everybody who attends has come a long way. We help each other get on and this certainly boosted me,” he said.
Mr. C mentioned that he would recommend it to other people. “I supposed some people they don’t need it but for anybody that is struggling a little bit, they can definitely benefit from it. I can recommend it. It’s good fun. Everybody enjoys it. It’s a bit of variety,” he said.
Case Study Mrs. M started going to alternative exercise but they wouldn’t let her stay because they felt it was too much strain on her heart, due to her health condition.
“I joined the ActivLives New Age Kurling session first then one of the members said that the instructor is also doing an exercise session. So, I joined the BreatheFit programme,” she said.
Mrs. M was trying to get as fit as she could. With her heart condition, surgery was inevitable. BreatheFit helped her recover from the surgery. “Through the programme, I was able to do things post-surgery far better than was expected and even the hospital staff couldn’t believe it. When I first got out of bed, I could just stand up. I couldn’t believe I could go from sitting to standing”, she shared.
“I have been doing BreatheFit for 3 years and it was sort of second nature. I mean I have had difficulties but generally speaking I was prepared in the best way I could be,” she said.
Case Study Mrs B started joining the exercise session at Saxmundham a year ago, few months before she turned 103 years old. She has proven that age is not a limitation to keep moving and get fit.
“I want to keep fit and I don’t know any other way than learning a few exercises. I do walking at home as much as I can with a pusher”, she shared. And she is unstoppable because she not only attends the weekly exercise regularly but she continues to do them at home.
“When I get home I practice them again and all throughout the week, I do a little practice. I found my balance become much better”, she said. And she highly recommends the sessions to other people not only for the exercise but for social connection. “Absolutely a 100% I try and come not only for the exercise but also for the social part. Having a chat with people you don’t know and finding all sorts of things you don’t know as well. It’s a whole thing. It’s not only the exercise but it’s also the social contact which is so important”, she said.
