Exercise in hope as local heroes help vulnerable
ACROSS Yorkshire, communities have been throwing their collective arms around their most vulnerable with innovative projects designed to tackle the worst of the region’s health inequalities.
The past four months since the coronavirus lockdown was imposed have shown the vital role which charities and community groups play in the nation’s social fabric.
Initiatives across the Yorkshire and Humber region have made the difference between individuals suffering and communities being resilient during the crisis.
And organisers have spoken out about coping with demand because of the challenges caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
In South Yorkshire, motherof-two Sheila Dunker-Chinnock, who has spondylosis, a type of arthritis spurred on by wear and tear to the spine, has become a champion in her Dearne Valley community.
She set up a “vital” exercise group sparked by concerns for the health and well-being of her elderly neighbours when lockdown restrictions started.
For the past two months, the Swinton resident, who herself uses a mobility scooter, has led a weekly Monday chair exercise class outside her bungalow on Charles Street, for six neighbours with underlying health conditions.
The group caters for a wide range of disabilities including blindness induced by type two diabetes. The oldest participant is 92-year-old Pat Taylor.
Since the restrictions were enforced, Mrs Dunker-Chinnock has had mounting concerns about the impact of coronavirus on the NHS and the cancellation of thousands of routine surgeries and appointments which could be accentuating ill-health for residents.
She has herself been unable to access her regular injections from her GP which aid her arthritis.
Speaking to The Yorkshire Post,
Mrs Dunker-Chinnock, 56, said: “A lot of people round here are already struggling.
“Since the lockdown, I’ve noticed it myself – I’m getting more health problems because I’m not able to do much exercise. Some days I’ve been in absolute agony.
“Here there are a lot of bungalows where the elderly live – for quite a few of them they don’t leave their house. Some don’t have any family and are on their own.”
Kathleen Cresswell, 81, who suffers from curvature of the spine, is one of the neighbours who has taken part in the classes for the past two months.
Mrs Cresswell, who moved to her bungalow two years ago, said she and her neighbours were reaping benefits for both physical and mental well-being.
The mother-of-two said: “We have a laugh when we are doing it. We do our best as Sheila shows us – some of us can’t lift our legs very far, but we have a go.”
Mrs Cresswell, who worked for more than 20 years in the catering industry for Wath Main Colliery, stressed the need to expand current programmes due to the chronic health problems that exist within the Dearne Valley.
“There really have been some challenging days during the coronavirus,” she said. “This kind of programme is vital.”
In West Yorkshire, for motherof-two Gemma Dockerty, who is looking after a recently diagnosed autistic daughter on top of financial challenges brought on by coronavirus, a Leeds community health initiative has proved to be vital.
The 28-yearold is one of 2,500 families who have received an active playbox delivered to their homes by the Fall into Place organisation during the lockdown. The playbox is designed to help the health and well-being of young families in the most deprived areas of the city.
Her daughter’s condition on the autism spectrum and financial worries have made staying healthy as a young family a difficult task.
The charity well-being coordinator has been furloughed from her part-time role with the LS14 Trust charity, while her self-employed partner, James Honner, 28, who works as a NHS courier, started work again only recently.
They have relied on savings and the Government’s bounceback loans, but did not want to run into debt.
Miss Dockerty said receiving the playbox was a vital “helping hand” for the family and her daughters Karla, seven, and Maria, 10, who are unable to attend Grange Farm Primary
School in Seacroft until September.
She said: “It’s been a lifeline for young families during this pandemic. We’ve had tough times.
“I definitely have concerns about keeping them occupied for such a long time. It’s so important to be able to exercise because it’s easy to get into a bad routine.”
The healthy family box scheme, delivered by Fall into Place with Active Leeds, the LS14 Trust, Playful Anywhere and Seagulls Reuse, can be accessed only by residents in Seacroft, Gipton and Harehills as well as Burmantofts, Richmond Hill,
Chapeltown and Armley due to capacity and funding.
Naomi Roxby Wardle, 28, the service co-director for Fall into Place, stressed the need to expand the initiative due to the chronic health inequalities and high rates of deprivation within West Yorkshire.
“Austerity has hit hardest in some of these areas,” she said. “We’ve heard it repeated like a mantra that we are meant to ‘all in this together’ – but I don’t think that is true.
“There are going to be the lasting effects of what coronavirus has done to communities like this.
“Adjusting to the ‘new normal’ is going to be a real struggle – we need to be able to support families during that time. We need long-term support.”
Closing the gap
Meanwhile, mother-of-five Nadera Amini is on a mission to provide support to women and girls in the most deprived areas of Bradford and protect future generations from health inequalities that have blighted their families.
The 39-year-old is leading the Bradford activity scheme Nutrition, Advice, Fitness and Selfcare (NAFS), with the goal to educate participants on developing healthy lifestyle habits including food, exercise and families’ daily routines.
The project is being run in sessions for small groups of up to six people in the local community.
The healthy families activity sessions, including Zumba, Pilates and boxercise, run five times a week with socialdistancing measures in place.
The classes can, however, be accessed only by residents who live in the Bowling and Barkerend districts of the city due to demand.
Mrs Amini said the programmes are helping to tackle chronic health problems which are persisting in many districts within Bradford, such as diabetes and high rates of metabolic syndrome, a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension) and obesity.
“We are trying to close the generational health inequalities gap,” she said. “Health conditions like diabetes are very high in our community.
“It is harder for families to find ways to live a healthy lifestyle when they are living in high deprivation and have health problems.”
‘We do our best as Sheila shows us – some of us can’t lift our legs very far, but we have a go.’