Enable Leisure and Culture, in partnership with Wandsworth Council are helping raise awareness of World Mental Health Day (WMHD), today, 10 October, by celebrating the many health and wellbeing activities and programmes that have been taking place in borough.

Over the past three years, the Active Wellbeing programme has been running in the borough working with adults with severe mental health conditions. The bespoke, one-to-one physical activity programme is set up to engage adults who suffer with severe and enduring mental conditions including psychosis, schizophrenia, and bi-polar disorder. Through the programme, participants are provided with tailored one-to-one exercise support, funded by Wandsworth’s Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and delivered by Enable Leisure and Sport, in partnership with Brent, Westminster and Wandsworth Mind (WWM).

It has been identified that people with severe mental health conditions have a 20 year lower life expectancy than the general population, largely attributed to cardiovascular conditions. Active Wellbeing aims to get participants physically active to reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Participants work with the same Exercise Instructor over 10 weeks with a programme tailored to each individual. As the exercise activity can happen anywhere in the borough, many prefer to exercise outside in one of Wandsworth’s parks or open spaces.

Those who took part worked on increasing their activity, improving their confidence, boosting their self-esteem, and engaging with other forms of health and wellbeing. Participants frequently report feeling healthier overall, including sleeping better and experiencing improved mood and motivation to try other new things.

This project was designed with Dr. Coffey, the Mental Health Lead GP for Wandsworth, who wanted to create a bespoke programme removing the barriers to exercise for adults with severe mental health issues. Exercise Instructors began working across the borough to help motivate and support participants. It has brought together mental health workers and exercise professionals. 

You can be referred to the Active Wellbeing programme by a mental health professional, through support groups or self-referral by contacting Enable Leisure and Culture directly. As a participant of the programme, you will meet with a professional to assess your physical or mental health conditions and anything the Exercise Instructor should be aware of, followed by an initial assessment with a mental health professional, and an Exercise Instructor.

An Active Wellbeing participant said: ‘I had been suffering from depression and anxiety for many years. After just 10 sessions of personal training, I have felt so much increased self-confidence and reduced feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. My mood has improved tremendously, and I can finally concentrate on my studies without getting distracted by my own thoughts. My sleep is better quality and more regular than ever before. I wish I had put my mind at ease through tailored training long ago.’

There are 32 public parks in the borough, many of which feature leisure facilities, such as Tooting Bec Athletics Track, Tooting Common, Battersea Park Millennium Arena, Battersea Park, Barn Elms Sports Centre and Barn Elms Boat House, all of which allow users to take full advantage of outdoor facilities such as running tracks, tennis courts and beach volley ball.

View all the different places to exercise in a park or open space in the borough at https://enablelc.org/green_spaces/exercise-places 

To find out more, visit https://enablelc.org/els. 

This article would not be possible without the support of our fantastic Community Partners. Click here to find out more.