Dancing for Wellbeing – Supporting the community during COVID19

Dancing for Well-Being, Community Interest Company www.dancingforwellbeing.org had to suspend their 7 sessions a week groups for older people with health and/or mobility problems due to Covid19.

180 members and 21 volunteers normally meet in community venues in Boroughbridge, Harrogate town centre, Knaresborough, Hampsthwaite, Bilton and Starbeck. Aimed at older people coping with illness, disability, pain, bereavement, caring responsibilities etc.

 ‘It’s harder to go out and do activities we used to enjoy in the company of family and friends, says Jackie Terry-Schuhmann, Director, Dancing for Well-Being.

 ‘We can start to lose our social “muscles” as well as our physical ones. Dancing for Well-Being, exercises both sets of muscles as well as generating a lot of chatting and laughing among group members.

 ‘Our staff and volunteers are continuing to keep in touch with members by phone and emails to try to support them emotionally and practically through self-isolation. Many of our members are widowed and live alone. We are also offering to do shopping for them if their family, neighbours and friends are unable to help.’

Following the cessation of group sessions due to Covid19, the group started running live online 30-minute Dancing for Well-Being sessions on their Facebook page, every week-day, free of charge.

 ‘About half of our members are online but some are not confident enough or comfortable with accessing what's available online, say Jackie.

 ‘However, we are reaching some of our members with these sessions and they are clearly enjoying these and feeling the benefits of the exercise and an emotional uplift from joining in. We feel these sessions are the type of thing that could be enjoyed by the whole family, especially young children, and we would encourage everyone to take a look at our page, we’d love you to join in.’ https://www.facebook.com/pg/dancingforwellbeing/videos/?ref=page_internal 

For more information, please contact:

Jackie Terry-Schuhmann, Director, Dancing for Well-Being

www.dancingforwellbeing.org

t: 07890 071508

e: [email protected]