Get Active, Get Updated! Summer 2013 As part of the Public Health Department, the Get Active Team develop, promote and commission physical activity opportunities for adults in Bolton. In line with the national transfer of Public Health departments into Local Authorities, as of April 1st 2013 the Get Active Team became part of Bolton Council's Adult Services. This summer has been a busy period for the Get Active Team, here is what we have been up to! Get Active website gets a revamp! The Get Active website has been updated to include an improved, more interactive search facility for finding physical activity sessions in Bolton. The new site also features videos of Get Active sessions and a Specialist Referrals tab which lists all the specialist sessions and explains the referral process. The site will soon include a new Let s Get Active tool which will help other health professionals to engage in conversations with patients around physical activity. The Let s Get Active tool will allow health professionals to provide patients with a personalised printout of appropriate physical activity sessions along with their self - reported, individual reasons for wanting to be more active. Check out the website now at www.getactivebolton.co.uk Friends win Prizes The Get Active team are due to launch a new campaign in September aimed at encouraging existing participants to bring a friend to Get Active sessions across the town. Keep an eye on the website for more details which are due to be released very soon!
Award winning NHS Fun Triathlon returns Get Active organised the NHS Fun Triathlon in July as over 350 NHS employees from around the UK descended on Bolton. The event, which returned for a second year, was awarded Gold Accreditation by the NHS Sport and Physical Activity Challenge for the impact it has had on staff health and wellbeing nationally. Entrants, many of whom were taking part in relay teams, tackled a 400 metre pool swim, a 21km cycle and a 5km run finishing in Old Station Park, Horwich. Competitors were treated to a free post-race massage by students from Bolton University as well as food and entertainment in the park on what was a scorching summer s day! More information about the NHS Triathlon, as well as pictures and results from the 2013 event can be found at www.nhstriathlon.com Introducing Walk from Here Get Active are supporting a new walking initiative being introduced into 6 GP surgeries in Bolton by NHS Health Trainers. 3 walking routes have been mapped out from each of the participating surgeries, with 1, 2 and 3 mile options, using the surgery as the start and finish point. Health Trainers will provide patients with an appropriate, easy to use map to support their walking plans. Physical Activity Directories and Home Exercise Guides available! We had a great response to a recent advert in the Bolton Scene, with a large number of people requesting Physical Activity Directories and Home Based Exercise Guides. The directory is a paper-based version of the Search for Activities section of the Get Active website and is extremely popular amongst non-internet users. If you would like copies of either of these resources, please contact the Get Active Team.
Pulmonary Rehab pathway takes its first steps August sees the exciting launch of the community aspect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Following her pulmonary rehab training in 2012, Vicky from the Get Active Team is piloting a community based exercise class specifically for pulmonary patients referred from Royal Bolton Hospital. Patients referred will have a range of pulmonary complications but will generally have been diagnosed with Chronic Pulmonary Obstructive Disease (COPD) and deemed to be suffering with bronchitis, emphysema, or chronic asthma. Patients will exit the hospital based exercise intervention and then be able to access a further 6 week course of circuit based classes at Bolton One with the Get Active Team. Our aim of continuous community exercise is to help patients improve their lung function, manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life. For more information about the scheme please contact Vicky Wood: Vicky.Wood@bolton.gov.uk Health Walk Leaders trained Get Active delivered another Health Walk Leader Training course in June. 10 people attended the one day course including staff and volunteers from the NHS Bolton s Children s Weight Management Team who will be delivering walks as part of their MEND programme. There were also volunteers from a Parkinson s Support Group and Friends of Queen s Park group who are now able to lead safe walks as well as support existing health walks across the borough. The Health Walk Leader Training is currently being updated by The Ramblers Association who manage the national Walking for Health Scheme. Melissa from the Get Active team, who is a Cascade Trainer for Walking for Health, will be attending a refresher course in September to roll out the updated programme to new volunteers and staff wishing to be trained as Health Walk Leaders. If you are interested in accessing the new training, please contact Melissa Taylor: Melissa.taylor@bolton.gov.uk Cancer Referral pathway launched A new Cancer referral pathway has been finalised and we are now accepting physical activity referrals from the Breast Care and Urology Teams at Royal Bolton Hospital. The evidence has grown to show the importance physical activity has during and after cancer treatment. Patients currently seeing their cancer nurse specialist may be referred to Get Active to access support in finding suitable activities for them. A selection of Get Active Instructors and Age UK volunteers have attended training to learn about the benefits of physical activity for individuals living with cancer and these instructors now have the necessary skills to welcome cancer referral patients into their classes. For more information on the cancer referral pathway, please contact Anna Smith: Anna.Smith@bolton.gov.uk
Walking for Health Bolton s Walk this Way Health Walk Scheme is going from strength to strength. A dedicated team of volunteer walk leaders deliver 10 weekly walks across Bolton ranging from short 30-60 minute walks to more strenuous walks of 2 hours. The scheme is part of the national Walking for Health programme which is currently managed by the Ramblers Association and supported by Macmillan Cancer Care. This relatively new management structure has brought some positive changes to the scheme with a rebranding; re-vamped website and a number of new resources for local health walk schemes. For more information visit: www.walkingforhealth.org.uk To ensure Bolton are kept up to date with new developments, Melissa from the Get Active Team regularly attends and / or hosts walk coordinator meetings for the Greater Manchester area, where guidance on best practice is shared and new and innovative ideas from across the region are discussed. I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike! This summer has seen a big increase in numbers on all of the Get Active cycle sessions. Up to 20 people now attend the Leverhulme Park beginners session on a Thursday morning where there is a bike to suit all needs. Many attendees have long term health conditions and use it to exercise at a pace that they find comfortable. The rides along the Middlebrook Trail are also proving to be as popular as ever. The Monday ride to Tesco at Middlebrook attracts up to 20 riders who enjoy a slightly faster pace. While Tuesday and Wednesday s shorter rides take advantage of the café in Queens Park for a sociable break. Tonge UCAN Bike Club had its inaugural ride in July. On Monday afternoons a mountain bike group enjoy easy-going offroad routes starting out at the historic Firwood Fold; and head out along the Kingfisher Trail, or Longsight Park to Harwood Vale. During May and June eight women took part in a six-week evening course to build confidence riding on main roads and commuting to work. Three women now regularly cycle to work. This course was run with support from Wigan Council. For more information on bike rides contact the Get Active Team or Helen.enevoldson@bolton.gov.uk Awards Evening set for November The third annual Get Active Awards Evening will take place on Friday 22 nd November 2013 at the Festival Hall in Bolton. The awards will celebrate the contribution of Bolton people to Get Active programme in categories including Volunteer of the Year and Class of the Year.
Coming to an event near you! The Get Active Team will be at the following events over the next few weeks: First Stop Health Bus Victoria Square Wednesday 4 th September Summer Tea Party, Orient House Medical Centre Saturday 7 th September Workplace Health Event Bolton at Home Friday 13 th September Volunteer Recruitment Event- The Hub- Wednesday 9 th October World Mental Health Day Victoria Square- Thursday 10 th October Keep in touch Tel: 01204 488202 0800 4589029 Email: getactive@bolton.gov.uk Like us on Facebook Get-Active-Bolton Follow us on Twitter @GetActiveBolton