Senior Saints march on with support from Investing in Communities fund
Thanks to funding from Sport England and EnergiseMe’s Investing in Communities project, Senior Saints Strolls will continue to support older adults in Southampton with getting active and outdoors post-lockdown.
Saints Foundation’s Senior Saints project has supported over 300 older adults across the city since the pandemic began, with our team delivering thousands of hours of support through physical exercise sessions and emotional support via wellbeing phone calls.
With many older people still anxious about meeting indoors since restrictions were loosened, our Senior Saints Strolls offer an alternative way for our participants to exercise and socialise together while staying out in the fresh air.
In addition, we’ve continued an online exercise session for those that prefer to engage with our support from home, and staff from across the Foundation and Southampton Football Club have continued to volunteer their time to make check-in phone calls.
New funding from Sport England and EnergiseMe’s Investing in Communities fund allows us to continue supporting our Senior Saints participants as they regain their fitness and their confidence after an extremely challenging 18 months.
Paul Hedges, Health Projects Manager, said: “We’re extremely proud and grateful to have received this support from the Investing in Communities fund.
“It’s really important that our participants feel comfortable as they re-engage with the outside world after lockdown, and the continuation of our walks and online exercise classes mean they can engage with us in a way that suits them, at their own pace.”
Earlier this year, Saints Foundation ambassador Kenzie Benali went down to a Senior Saints Stroll to see the project in action. She spoke to participant Margaret about how our team has been supporting her since losing her husband.
