Abbeycroft Leisure’s ‘Together Tuesday’ scooped the prestigious ‘Healthy Communities Award’ at the recent UK Active Sports Awards in Manchester.
Together Tuesday, is a weekly social and physical activity session held at their Hadleigh Pool and Leisure Centre, designed to offer people living with dementia and their family or carers, a relaxed and supportive environment in which they can take part in various physical activities and organised trips. The room is set as a community café with tablecloths and flowers, word searches and quizzes, table tennis and carpet bowl and regularly there are guests who entertain and stimulate a dance or sing along.
Evidence of need for the programme came from the initial research completed when the Hadleigh Dementia Action Alliance was formed in 2014.
During 2018, Together Tuesday supported 1492 people attending 49 sessions. 494 living with dementia, 513 carers/family members and 485 community guests and the programme was supported by 600 hours of volunteering.
People living with Dementia and their carers know the things they are finding difficult, and Together Tuesday provides a much needed respite from some of their daily challenges by focusing on positives memories and offering people opportunities to take part in activities which they are actually able to do and enjoy. Carers, family members and friends of people living with Dementia are able to choose to stay and take part in the activities or equally are welcome to enjoy some time apart.
Tracey Loynds, Development Director at Abbeycroft said:
“We are immensely proud of this award especially given the standard of initiatives from other leisure providers that we were up against from all over the UK.”
She continued “Movement and exercise has proven to be a key success to improving wellbeing and this particular programme supports the entire family to live well with dementia.
Our facilities are community activity hubs providing a diverse range of opportunities and community programmes such as Together Tuesday are made entirely possible by the unique way we operate as a non profit making social enterprise.”
To find out more about Together Tuesday Call T. 01473 823470 or Email hadleighreception@acleisure.com.