"It’s just things for local people in the area to come out to not be isolated" – Weekly Wellbeing activities in the park

“It’s just things for local people in the area to come out to not be isolated” – Weekly Wellbeing activities in the park

A Salford group is organising weekly activities to allow people to regain a sense of community after covid.

Salford Group CommUnity is organising Weekly Wellbeing activities in Peel Park, Little Hulton with the aim of fostering community for people who may have felt isolated during the covid period.

The group has a range of weekly outdoor activites for people to attend inculiding walks in the park, ‘community chit chat’ where people can come socialise with others and a community garden and litter pick.

Emma, who runs the activities wants people to come together and feel like a community again after so long apart.

‘’It’s just things for local people in the area to come out to not be isolated and just to get them out and about.’’

‘’One of my ladies, she said it’s just improved her mental health massively, just being outside in the park, getting involved in activities, using her brain again and being among people and company.’’

The group came out as a community consultaion about getting people pysically active in the area and now with funding CommUnity was able to set up Welbeing sessions in the park.

‘’Its just something we haven’t got in our area and with funding we’ve been able to set up these wellbeing sessions in the park’’

Each activity will last for six weeks and will change from walking to yoga through june and then pop up stories through July and august.

‘’It’s just to see what the community enjoys really and just to get people back in the green spaces and out into the park to connect with nature and other people.’’

There are other activites to partake in such as community gardening once a month with RHS Bridgewater and a monthly communtity chit chat which is an informal session in the park for people to come and chat with others about local events in the area and the park.

Monday the 9^th of May was the first event and had a positive response form the community.

‘’It’s a case of getting it up and running, anywhere between 10 and 15 people every week would be brilliant, that’s 10 to 15 people that’ll be out and about with us and socialising and connecting with other people really’’

The activities are aimed at a number of demographics.

‘’The walking and yoga is predominantly women, the we’ve got the public stories in the park through the six week holidays so that’s obviously for the children and then we have walking football from October which will be targeting men for over fifties.’’

Emma hopes that the group will also help people to take a more proactive role in their mental health and overall wellbeing.

‘’Everyone is welcome at our group and the group is showing we’re still getting members attending’’

‘’It’s not a specific thing that people have to do, they don’t have to join in the walks, they can come and sit outside and have a brew, it’s just a chance for people to come together and connect.’’

‘’It’s about that connection and people having that conversation with people’’

The group runs every Thursday 11am-1pm, Tuesday the 24^th may 11am-1am and community gardening and litter pick Thursday 26th may 12pm-3pm.