Parkinson’s UK and Places Leisure announce physical activity pilot
The Move and Shout pilot aims to get more people active with Parkinson's
Parkinson’s UK and Places Leisure have agreed a new programme of tailored sessions to help more people living with Parkinson’s to get active and live well with the condition.
Our new Move and Shout pilot is a 12-week physical activity programme that launches at five of our centres this month!
Jonny Pickering, Head of Healthy Communities for Places Leisure, said:
“We know that physical activity has many benefits, one being improvement in brain function. This is why this pilot is so important, particularly as Parkinson’s is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world and there are currently around 153,000 people in the UK living with the condition. We are excited to see the results over the coming months and continue working with Parkinson’s UK in the long term.”
Move and Shout will be offered at five of our centres across England, with the focus on being active in a fun, social and engaging way.
The five centres are:
● Graves Health and Sports Centre
● West Bromwich Leisure Centre
● Waltham Abbey Leisure Centre
The pilot will focus on promoting fitness, mobility and wellbeing for people living with Parkinson’s, while also creating awareness and understanding of the condition in local communities.
Tim Morton, Physical Activity Programme Lead at Parkinson’s UK, said: “We are delighted to be working with Places Leisure on the delivery of their new Move and Shout project for people living with Parkinson’s."
“We hope that more people will be able to take advantage of the new offer in the selected areas and be able to live well with their Parkinson’s."
“Being active is one of the best ways to manage Parkinson’s symptoms as regular physical activity can improve both long-term physical and mental wellbeing. Plus, physical activity offers great social opportunities for people with Parkinson's to enjoy."
Our instructors will also receive specialist training from Parkinson’s UK to give them a better understanding of the condition and help them work with the Parkinson’s community to deliver more effective physical activity programmes.
The 12-week programme will include weekly physical activity classes with each session featuring structured exercises from trained instructors. As part of the programme participants are also encouraged to ‘shout’ and sing during the physical activity to better support them with breath control, voice projection and also help raise endorphin levels.
People with Parkinson’s, their relatives and carers are all welcome to participate and each class costs £2.50 per person. Classes can be booked through the Places Leisure online booking system.
All participants receive complimentary 12-week gym-only memberships, including an induction and regular catch-ups with a Level 3 GP Exercise Referral instructor. At the end of the 12-week pilot, participants will be given the opportunity of joining the Exercise Referral Scheme membership at a discounted rate.