Feb 17, 2025 | ActivHubs
It is only 2 months since Laura Lopez at ActivLives started up a new Love to Move session in Trimley St Martin, Felixstowe but the session is already a resounding success. Laura completed her Love to Move training in September 2024 and went on to pass her assessment in record time. Her training was funded through a grant received by the British Gymnastics Foundation from Suffolk Community Foundation. Laura was already running several community sessions for ActivLives but Love to Move has offered her the opportunity to add this uniquely different session to her repertoire and she is loving it.
“It’s such a rewarding and positive session to deliver. You can see the benefits it brings, not just for participants living with various conditions but the carers get just as much out of it. It is one of my favourite sessions to deliver. It has huge potential for local communities.”
The banner picture is of Laura with John and Doreen who are regular attendees at the Trimley St Martin session. John has run the London marathon 6 times with his fastest time being an incredible 2 hours 57 minutes. John had a dense stroke in June 2023 and has had a long road to recovery but is now seeing real benefits since starting Love to Move. One of their favourite parts of the session is the alphabet topic. When they get home after a session, they always go through the topic again (sometimes for hours!!) with pen and paper writing a list and coming up with lots more answers. And they never ask Google!
Doreen said “I love it. It gets you going. It makes you think for yourself, not just follow. I’m getting my husband back bit by bit. He is gaining more movement and strength in the side effected by his stroke. It’s not just me who notices it but other people too”.

Sue, pictured with Laura, is a full time carer for her husband who suffers from acute anxiety and depression and they have been coming to the session since it started. “It has helped me as a carer and done a lot for my husband’s mental health and wellbeing. After a session you feel really good. This is the only activity that my husband will come to where he can be with other people.”
The Trimley St Martin session is run weekly and participants enjoy a well deserved cup of tea and biscuit and a chat afterwards. Having seen it’s success, Laura is keen to develop more Love to Move sessions and the British Gymnastics Foundation is currently liaising with ActivLives and Active Suffolk to look at how we might be able to bring more Love to Move sessions to Suffolk.
For more information about Love to Move, please contact: Susannah.taylor@britishgymnasticsfoundation.org
Case Study prepared by Sue Taylor
Jan 8, 2025 | ActivHubs
ActivLives, East Suffolk Council and Babergh Mid Suffolk Council collaborate for a free 12-week Strength and Balance Programme. This is for people who experienced fall or feel unsteady on their feet and aged 65 and over. There will be weekly sessions in various locations in Suffolk namely: East Bergholt, Holbrook, Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Leiston and Saxmundham.
The Strength and Balance session in Holbrook will start on 3rd February with the following weekly schedule: every Monday, 1:30pm – 3pm at the Holbrook Village Hall, The Street, Holbrook, Ipswich, IP9 2PZ.
Participants will get the following benefits from the programme: 12 free strength and balance sessions, work with qualified OTAGO specialist qualified instructors and exercise to improve, gait, coordination, strength & confidence.
If you want to refer someone, you may call ActivLives on 01473 345350 for more details. You may also speak to a health professional to submit a referral on your behalf. Or submit a self- referral on this link: www.activesuffolk.org/strength-and-balance.
Dec 9, 2024 | ActivHubs, ActivSuffolk
ActivLives, East Suffolk Council and Babergh & Mid Suffolk Council collaborate for a free 12-week Strength and Balance Programme. This is for people who have experienced fall recently or feel unsteady on their feet and aged 65 and over. There will be weekly sessions in various locations in Suffolk: East Bergholt, Holbrook, Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Leiston and Saxmundham.
Participants will get the following benefits from the programme: 12 free strength and balance sessions, work with qualified OTAGO specialist qualified instructors and exercise to improve, gait, coordination, strength & confidence.
If you want to refer someone, you may call ActivLives on 01473 345350 for more details. You may also speak to a health professional to submit a referral on your behalf. Or submit a self- referral on this link: www.activesuffolk.org/strength-and-balance.
Nov 27, 2024 | ActivHubs, ActivLives
The local charity ActivLives kicked off its Love to Move programme with a free taster event on 25th November at the Trimley Sports and Social Club, Felixstowe. It’s an exercise to help older people with dementia, Parkinson’s and other forms of cognitive impairment to get active and have a regular weekly physical activity.
Love to Move, is a ground-breaking programme, the first of its kind in the UK pioneered by the British Gymnastics Foundation and an official legacy programme of the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships. The exercise programme is specially designed to get older people moving and functioning better. Its website promotes it as an exercise programme that engages participants with simple hand movements set to music, and has been shown to help improve their mobility, strength, and flexibility. This is only one of the several exercise programmes that ActivLives offers for older people with health problems. In June this year, the charity started its BreatheFit session in Ipswich and Felixstowe. It is a physical exercise for people living with a diagnosed respiratory condition. The list and information of the other programmes can be found at activlives.org.uk.
People who are interested to join the Love to Move programme will participate in a regular weekly session every Monday from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM at the Trimley Sports and Social Club, High Road, Trimley St Martin, Felixstowe, IP11 0RJ. To register, you may contact ActivLives at 01473 345350.
Jan 31, 2024 | ActivGardens, ActivHubs, ActivLives, ActivSinging, ActivSports, ActivSuffolk
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
Jan 9, 2024 | ActivGardens, ActivHubs, ActivLives, ActivSinging, ActivSports
Please note that Better Balance in Walton has been cancelled on Tuesday 9th January
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.