ACTIVITIES
Developing skills and having choices
SWIMMING
VOLUNTEERING
This can make a real difference both to the community they are serving in and to the service user taking part. This can help improve social skills, work based learning and self worth. Volunteering helps to break down social barriers and offer people an opportunity to socialise with people from different social and cultural backgrounds. Studies have found that when you stop thinking about your own problems and focus on someone other than yourself, your stress levels start to decrease, your immune system is strengthened and your overall sense of life satisfaction increases. This is because helping someone else interrupts tension-producing patterns and replaces it with a sense of purpose, positive emotions and high confidence levels. Employers love a candidate with a range of soft skills and luckily, volunteering gives you plenty of those. You are faced with problems on a daily basis, you have to deal with a mix of personalities and all while adjusting to life outside of your comfort zone. This all adds up and helps to improve your teamwork, leadership, problem-solving and people skills.
GREENACRES
HORSERIDING
There’s probably no activity that gets our blood pumping and faces grinning quite like swimming. For some service users it has been a huge milestone to go in a swimming pool. Some service users have set themselves big challenges to swim a certain amount of lengths in a set time frame. Either way with the right support we’re sure you’ll love it, learn something new, and definitely make some new friends in the process. Swimming uses all the muscles in the body so whether you swim gently or go really fast, you will get a full body workout. Plus, exercising in water makes your body work harder so 30 minutes in a pool is worth 45 minutes of the same activity on land.
PERSONAL TRAINER
ARTS & CRAFTS
They are a forward thinking day centre dedicated to providing person-centred support to adults with learning disabilities and/or autism.
They embed learning into their daily activities so for example, if you follow a digital skills ASDAN you might do an online food shop, or search the internet for recipes for the 'shop and cook' sessions. If you like the sound of the Horticulture ASDAN then you're likely to get involved in growing vegetables and using them in the cookery activities.
They have an active gardening group that has created a lovely garden with raised beds. They have made a compost heap, laid grass seed, and grown all sorts of produce, including carrots, strawberries, beans, pumpkins and tomatoes.
Spa and mindfulness sessions which involve hand massages, foot spas and aromatherapy oils and sensory baking are just some of their more therapeutic activities.
The emphasis of 'Feel good Friday' is on fun activities such as karaoke, music quizzes, arts and crafts, ball games, dancing and keep fit, which promote self-expression, confidence, coordination and keeping fit.
(photo from ECL website)
RDA delivers physical benefits, boosts confidence, improves communication skills and helps to build relationships. They know their activities support their clients’ education and learning, and that having the opportunity to compete improves confidence in daily life. RDA activities improve general fitness and physical health as well as specific areas such as mobility, motor function, core strength and balance. Living with disability in the UK still means an increased risk of social isolation and lack of self-confidence. RDA’s activities build friendships, a sense of belonging, confidence and self-esteem. It provides access to a fun, healthy activity, and a way of enjoying the outdoors.
GIRLGUIDING UK
PARK RUN
Everybody is different, and that means everyone’s abilities and requirements are different when it comes to exercise. This could be anything from having an old injury that requires special exercises to having a phobia that may impact on where or how you workout. A Personal Trainer will not only help you set realistic goals that you will be able to achieve - if you put in the effort, of course - but they will also be able to keep you on track to hit those goals. Having a PT to help with your exercise plan when you suffer from mental health problems can help with motivation, with choosing the right exercises to release the most endorphins, and also just to have another shoulder to lean on.
Creativity also plays a big role at T McTaggart Ltd. Many of the adults we support enjoy crafting, taking great pride in completing personal projects. These activities build focus, patience, and coordination — while strengthening bonds between staff and service users. We always strive to find meaningful activities that match each person’s interests, abilities, and ambitions.
There are so many life-changing experiences you can have through Girlguiding – flying down a zip wire for the first time, finding the courage to stand up and speak out on an issue they care about, going on their very first camp away from home. Through fun, friendship, challenge and adventure, and within a safe girl-only space, Girlguiding members discover their full potential, changing their own lives and the world around them for the better. Some of our adults enjoy helping out at a local unit or taking part within a unit, both are great links within their local community. Close community links are important in building your own self worth and friendships.
GRAPEVINE ESSEX
Parkrun is not a race against other runners, but a 5k timed run and it can really be whatever you want it to be, whether that's for fun or as part of a training plan. It offers an opportunity for all the local community, male or female, young or old, to come together on a regular basis and get physically active. They want to encourage people to jog or run together irrespective of their ability. Taking part is easy – just register before your first ever parkrun. After the run, if you don’t have to get off straight away, there will be the chance to socialise with everyone to maybe swap stories about your run that day, chat to other runners over a cup of tea or coffee and just be an important part of this new running community.
This is an amazing local club that provides supported recreational and educational activities for adults with learning disabilities living in Essex. Anyone aged 18 or over with a learning disability can apply for membership. Their members are invited to attend a diverse programme of fully-supported and affordable activities and events that are held all year round.