Fusion Lifestyle Case Studies


Get Healthy and Happy - Hesketh's Story

Hesketh is currently a member at Park Road Pool & Fitness, he is a familiar face at a few outdoor swimming venues in North London although credits Park Road as being one of his firm favourites, where he attends five days a week for morning swims in the lido.

Being an ex semi-pro basketball player, Hesketh says he ensures that exercise is a top priority now and attends lane swimming sessions and Aqua Aerobics sessions to help maintain a balance with his diet. He points out that no matter whether you're an experienced swimmer or not, everyone is welcome.  

Not only does he enjoy swimming, but he also says that the social aspect is a big factor as to why he attends regularly, socialising with the centre staff and other centre users. The exercise and social factors have massive mental health benefits for him.


Get Healthy and Happy - Zoe's Story

Zoe currently attends Park Road Pool & Fitness, along with her partner Gellan and her two daughters. She credits swimming in the lido as being a 'form of therapy' which helps to 'keep her fit and mind calm', whilst also attending classes including yoga, pilates and high-intensity workouts. 

As a family, they use a wide range of the facilities available, as her partner Gell also enjoys using the gym and attending classes. Zoe's daughters regularly attend swimming lessons and she credits the centre staff for being friendly and helpful whenever she has queries. 

Get Healthy and Happy - Adrian's Story

Adrian is a member at Ivybridge Leisure Centre after deciding to join following a conversation with a doctor, where he was advised to try and raise his fitness and improve his health. He also felt that as he was getting older, he was starting to put weight on which he wasn't comfortable with. 

Following an assessment carried out by a qualified member of staff, Adrian has been able to find the perfect routine that suits his ability and what he is aiming towards. He has also found the 'MyZone' heart monitor useful and effective in helping to raise his fitness levels. Since sticking to his routine, Adrian has found that exercise is an ideal way of relieving stress and benefits his mental and physical health. His favourite activities include attending 5 classes a week including Spin and Body Pump and describes the class instructors as 'top quality'.

Occasionally he will also have a session in the gym and swimming pool or bring his daughter along and have a game of Squash. 

Get Healthy and Happy - Dawn's Story

Dawn is currently a member at Parklands Leisure Centre and is currently recovering from breast cancer surgery. She started attending the centre 3 years ago after obtaining a GP referral and loves the friendly and relaxed environment.

By following her catered nutrition and exercise plan provided by qualified staff, she is aiming to restore her level of fitness and uses the facilities to prepare herself physically and mentally for reconstructive surgery.

Due to her specific needs and requirements, Dawn sticks to her personal plan when exercising and enjoys attending the Spin classes, using the cross-trainers and weights.  

Get Healthy and Happy - Gellan's Story

Gell is a member at Park Road Pool & Fitness, along with his partner Zoe. He loves using the gym and attending classes at the centre, and appreciates the sense of community to help keep him feeling motivated.

As a family, they use a wide range of the facilities available, as his partner Zoe also enjoys using the lido and attending classes. Zoe's daughters regularly attend swimming lessons and she credits the centre staff for being friendly and helpful whenever she has queries. 

In fact, Gell himself is one to try new things and learn new skills, as he learnt to swim properly last year. 

Get Health and Happy - Andrew's Story

Andrew is a member at his local centre, Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre and finds his membership an affordable and convenient option, he says he is very happy to be back using the facilities as during lockdown he travelled 20 miles a few times a week to use the gym in his son's garden to maintain his fitness.

In his youth, Andrew says he was very active sporty, although due to an incident involving a car crash, his possible football career was put on hold when he damaged his right leg. Following this in later years, Andrew had a knee replacement and a triple heart bypass. 

He made the decision to join the gym after having serious thoughts about maintaining his health during his retirement years. Once he had got started, he says the centre staff were very helpful in showing him how to use certain equipment and how to get the best results for a more effective workout. 

Due to his medical history, running isn't an option although enjoys many other options available including weights and stationary bikes. Although Andrew finds that not only does attending the gym improve his physical health, but also benefits his mental health and helps him to stay youthful.

Charnwood - Walking Football

Details of the initiative 

The Walking football session at Loughborough is designed to get participants active who have health conditions that prevent them from talking part in regular football. It's a great initiative that has been running across the country for a while now. There has been 25 participants access the session with a regular attendance of 14.

Success of the initiative

Walking football is an excellent way of staying fit and healthy. Studies have shown it can be effective in the treatment of mild to moderate health conditions. There are also substantial mental health benefits to the participants.

The session is now fully sustainable and the capacity is near full each week. The participants have gave fantastic feedback and are really happy to be back playing after the uncertainty of Coronavirus.

Future plans 

It is great that we have been able to get this sessions started and has really helped the participants get back to normality. The next step after this will beto introduce new walking football sessions.   

Totnes Youth Leisure Nights

Background

Youth Genesis aims to provide quality informal learning opportunities for young people aged 11-25 through a programme of activities, clubs, drop-ins, street based and project work. Youth Genesis does this by training local volunteers and unlocking community assets to better serve the needs of young people.

The Youth Leisure Nights have worked very well in Totnes, working in Partnership with Fusion lifestyle at Totnes Pavilion. Fusion put together a program of activities each week and Youth Genesis provide the youth work element, providing support and informal learning for the young people that attend.

Issues affecting Young People Nationally 

Statistics show that the top issues young people face nationally are -

o Exclusion from Education

o Knife Crime

o Poor Mental Health

o Exploitation

Issues affecting Young People locally in Totnes

There are 58,000 young people living in Devon, most of these are in rural and isolated areas.

Statistics show that the top issues young people face locally are -

o Knife Crime/ Gangs

o County Lines

o Exploitation

Over the last year we have done targeted work around all the areas listed above, but also work to the youth work curriculum, addressing the many issues that young people face. 

A proportion of this work was focused around substance misuse and the issues using drugs and alcohol can cause young people and into adulthood.

Activities at Totnes Youth Leisure Nights

Totnes Youth Leisure Nights have proven popular for young people, as a result, sessions are constantly attracting new members has attracted young people from the South Hams and Torbay. The Youth Leisure Nights have provided young people with a safe space to meet. Young people living in Totnes and surrounding areas often commented that they liked the Youth Leisure Nights because they had somewhere safe and warm to meet with friends and participate in activities. The youth leisure nights activities programme has included, swimming, pool inflatables, use of the gym, gym challenges, basketball, trampolining, football, gymnastics, dodgeball, badminton, hockey, roller skating, team games and a quiet space for young people to access support and chat with friends. 

The youth leisure nights have helped reduce social isolation for young people, in alternative education and young people living in rural areas, as often young people would talk about not having a safe space to meet with friends. The leisure nights have reduced the number of young people experiencing social isolation.

Our aim during the year has been:

o To provide a safe space for young people.

o To build professional relationships with young people.

o To provide opportunities for learning.

o To provide support to young people.

o To encourage young people to be more inclusive of others.

Our aims have been achieved through conversations and activities with young people, that has enabled us to build relationships. Once we had built a professional relationship with young people we were able to provide support to young people facing issues such as: substance misuse, bullying, relationships, confidence, low self-esteem and poor mental health; through activities, workshops and discussions which have created opportunities for young people to be informally educated and to become aware of other services they can go to for support. In addition to this, throughout the year our youth workers have been challenging young people's perceptions, which has enabled the sessions to become more inclusive, as young people now have a raised awareness of other people's needs and disabilities, and how activities often need to be adapted to make it more inclusive.

Totnes Youth Leisure Nights has enabled young people to develop key transferable skills through sporting activities such as: communication, teamwork, listening, reflection, leadership, interpersonal skills and adapting activities to be inclusive to all. Furthermore, young people have also developed new skills, through developing friendships, participating in activities and sharing knowledge and skills with others.