Local Mental Health charity Hull and East Yorkshire Mind has joined forces with Active Humber to promote physical activity for better mental health. They have been awarded funding by Sport England and the National Lottery to help people to try new sports and activities to help improve their physical and mental health.
Through this work, Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and Active Humber will be supporting people experiencing mental health problems – such as depression and anxiety – to build their confidence to join sports clubs, go to the gym or take up a new sport such as tennis, running or fitness activities to name a few.
People with mental health problems who have taken part in an earlier pilot phase of the Get Set to Go programme say that it not only increased their activity levels over a 12-month period, but also helped them feel more resilient and better able to cope with challenging life events. The hope is that people in the Hull and East Yorkshire area will benefit from this new phase of Get Set to Go.
The Get Set to Go programme, launched in 2015. In the past three years, more than 3,500 people with mental health problems have benefited and tried out new activities in a relaxed and friendly environment. An independent research team from Loughborough University conducted a two-year study which showed that 78% of people rated it as very good or excellent after just 6 months.
In this new phase of the programme, Mind aims to support over 120,000 people with mental health problems across the country to be more active through its work in communities and partners in the sport sector.
Emma Dallimore, Interim Chief Executive at Hull and East Yorkshire Mind, said “We’re really pleased to be working with Active Humber and local sport groups to promote physical activity to help us all with our mental health, and to find ways to help people to be able to take part. I know there are people who have used our services who have seen how physical activity has helped them improve their mood, and their feeling of wellbeing. I hope this programme will help more people to be able to benefit.”
David Gent, Chief Executive of Active Humber said: ‘We are delighted to be able to play a role in bringing the Get Set to Go programme to the area with Hull and East Yorkshire Mind. We know it has already been successful nationally, and we’re excited that so many local partners will be on the ground delivering the programme. The benefits of physical activity on mental health are proven, and we hope to be able to make a real difference to the lives of individuals in this region.’
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind said: “We know that physical activity can play a vital role in the lives of people with mental health problems, reducing the risk of depression by up to 30%. Unfortunately we also know that many people who do want to participate in sport are being held back by their mental health, whether that’s feelings of low self-confidence, exhaustion or fear of crowded spaces.
“The findings of the first phase of the Get Set to Go programme shows us that it works as a model, improving participants’ resilience and building their support networks. We are therefore delighted to have received funding from Sport England and the National Lottery to build on this and support even more people with mental health problems to become more physically active.”
Mike Diaper, Sport England’s Executive Director Community Sport, said:
“We are delighted to partner with Mind and invest National Lottery funding to enable Minds in communities across the country to bring the benefits of sport and activity to people with mental health problems. We urge everyone working in the sport and physical activity sector to learn from Get Set to Go and make their own services more accessible, supportive and welcoming to all.”
Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and Active Humber will be working closely with partners such as Hull KR Community Trust, Advantage Tennis Coaching, Hull Tigers Trust, Fitmums and Friends, Hull Culture and Leisure and Hull FC to deliver community sessions and to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment within local sport and leisure facilities. As part of this work, they will be offering free Mental Health Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity (MHASPA) training to sport sector staff, which has been developed with UK Coaching
They will train Peer Volunteers, who understand how mental health problems can be a barrier to getting more active, to support participants to attend Get Set to Go sessions and try out different activities in their community.
As part of the programme, there will be a number of taster sessions over the coming months where you can try out different activities and see what suits you. There will also be 12 week-programmes running including tennis with Advantage Tennis Coaching, walking or running with Fitmums & Friends, fitness in KCOM Craven Park with Hull KR Community Trust, multi-sports and football sessions with Tigers Trust and various others with Hull Council and Leisure and Hull FC.
If you’re interested in taking part in any of the activities then call 01482 240200 or email [email protected].
