Time to Talk Day 2024

Time to Talk Day 2024

Thursday 1 February 2024 is Time to Talk Day, it’s the nations’s biggest mental health conversation. Happening every year, it’s a day for friends, families, communities, and workplaces to come together to talk, listen and change lives.

Much of ActivLive’s activities and projects focuses on helping to improve people’s mental health and to reflect that today is ‘Time to Talk Day’ we asked a few of our staff members to write us a sentence or two about how their activities can help people living with mental health problems.

ActivSport Manager Mike:

‘Sport and physical activity can be a great way of focussing on something positive. You get caught up in the moment (in a good way!), whilst playing the game, it leaves you feeling great afterwards.’

To find out more about our ActivSport programme please click here  

ActivGardens Manager Susannah:

‘Getting into the Great Outdoors is a wonderful way of making you feel better – doing some gardening, getting involved in nature conservation, or simply taking a walk or sitting in a green space listening to the birds or chatting to other people. We offer all this at ActivGardens’

As one volunteer said: “You leave your troubles at the gate.”

  • Gardening In Mind – Free course supporting mental wellbeing starts NEXT week – Find out more here
  • Beekeeping starts up in April – Find out more here

To find out more about ActivGardens please click here 

ActivCommunity Support Worker Moira

The final word goes to Moira who is our new ActivCommunity Support Worker:

‘Its good to feel joy, happiness and laughter with others. Socialising with others or joining in with a new activity is good for the mind and body.’

You can find more about Time to Talk Day here

Time to Talk Day 2024

Happy New Year from ActivLives

Everyone at ActivLives would like to wish you a Happy New Year!

We’re back up and running for 2024 and it would be lovely to see you at one of our activities. There are loads of different things to choose from so if you wanted to get involved in some sport, improve your balance, join a singing session or take on some gardening duties why not take a look around our website to find out more and then get in touch with the office to chat with the team!

A BIG THANK YOU goes out to all ActivLives volunteers who help keep our activities and gardens running across the organisation. We hope everyone had a lovely break and now we are all systems go for the New Year. And of course, not forgetting a few of the staff and Trustees getting together to celebrate the end of the year and looking forward to an even better 2004.

ActivSport – https://activlives.org.uk/activsports/

ActivHubs – https://activlives.org.uk/activhubs/

ActivSinging – https://activlives.org.uk/activsingers/

ActivGardens – https://activlives.org.uk/activgardens/

To get in touch give the office a call on 01473 345350.

Here’s to a fantastic 2024, may it be filled with plenty of fun, new friends and fantastic new experiences!

Make a fresh start in 2024 and join one of our FREE garden courses

Make a fresh start in 2024 and join one of our FREE garden courses

If you are looking for a new activity to give yourself a boost in the new year, how about joining a course at ActivGardens?

We have two free courses starting in February for people aged 16+:

Gardening In Mind – a FREE 12-week course supporting your mental wellbeing. Find out more HERE – funded by Henry Smith Charity.

Grow Your Future – a FREE 12-week course, helping you gain skills and confidence for further learning, training, volunteering or employment. Find out more HERE – funded by Equity In Mind – a partnership between NSFT and Suffolk Community Foundation.

The friendly group sessions will include – gardening and horticulture, growing your own veg, working in a plant nursery, nature conservation and beekeeping (optional), and therapeutic/ creative activities. They aim to promote good physical and mental health, and help you learn practical skills, in a supportive environment where you can meet others.

Please come to one of our Open Days to look around the gardens, meet our team and find out more over a cuppa:
• Gardening In Mind – Monday 15th January 10am to 2pm at the People’s Community Garden
• Grow Your Future – Wednesday 17th January 10am to 2pm at the People’s Community Garden on Maidenhall Allotments IP2 8RE and Tuesday 16th January 10am to 2pm at Chantry Walled Garden in Chantry Park IP2 0BS.

Former participants have said:
“It’s helped me realise this is the sort of work I want to be in. It’s increased my knowledge base and my confidence in what I know. It’s what I look forward to in the week. It’s given me the knowledge to move forward.”

“It’s helped me achieve goals set out before starting the project. It’s helped me have structure in my week. It’s helped my confidence grow from week to week with each new horticulture skill.”

“I’ve got more self-esteem and confidence. I’ve met more people down here – I don’t feel so isolated.”

“This project has helped me – I needed somewhere to lose myself. There were too many things going on at once, and my mind was too full. Here, you can step out of the rat race and into a carefree area. It lifts a weight from your mind. You are surrounded by nature and it makes you feel better in lots of ways – the joy of seeing plants, rebirth. No doubt about it, it lifts you.”

“I have become more active and I am putting something back into the local community, and contributing my own skills. Having retired, I need something to fill my day. I need to do things that make me feel happy and proud.”

“It helped build up confidence in a working environment. I have become more assertive in conversation. It’s helped me become less stressed.”

To register your place or to find out more, please contact programme manager Susannah Robirosa on 07530 407302 on 01473 345350 or email susannah@activlives.org.uk or visit our website: www.activlives.org.uk/activgardens

AGM 2023 Photos

AGM 2023 Photos

Thank you everyone who enjoyed the AGM last week.
It was a lovely afternoon and great to hear the charity is in good shape. Once the formal part of the meeting was completed we were entertained by our amazing ActivSingers, who sung a fantastic medley of songs that really entertained the crowds. We also heard some wonderful stories from our members about how ActivLives has helped them stay connected and active in their communities!
ActivGardens set up a plant stall so guests also got the opportunity to grab a few plants to brighten up their gardens. Plus there was some delicious cake and a chance to catch up over a cuppa!
In total 141 people attended this year’s AGM and most people will agree it was a lovely afternoon. Take a browse through our photo album below to see a few photos from the day.

A big thank you to Ipswich Wanderers!

A huge thank you to Ipswich Wanderers FC for choosing ActivLives as their ‘Charity of the Season 23 – 24’. It was great to see the sign in situ and lovely to meet everyone at the Sponsors Lunch.

We kickstarted the fundraising year with a fun Quiz Night in August and I know Kelly and the Committee have plenty of ideas for future fundraising events, which  ActivLives will certainly be involved with. Enabling people to participate in any activity, whatever it may be, is really important, particularly for older adults, people with long-term health conditions, mental health needs and people with disability.

So, this partnership with Ipswich Wanderers FC fits well with both the Club and what ActivLives is all about, keeping people active and connected.