‘I love the joyful community of hoopers I’ve built’
Laigh Linh Ho arrived in the UK as a refugee. Now she’s returned to the area where she grew up and found a fun way to bring the community together
There’s nothing I find more therapeutic than Hula Hooping on the beach near my home in Folkestone. I love the cool sea breeze and helping people get fit in a fun way. Through hooping, I’ve formed a community, and moving back to the coast has made me feel like I’ve come full circle.
I spent my childhood by the Kent coast, after arriving in the UK as a refugee from Vietnam in 1980. My father owned a fishing business there and had fought in the Vietnam War, but that was taken away by Communist rule and we had to leave the country.
We lived in Hythe with a local woman who’d taken us in, before finding a home of our own in Gillingham, where my family was among the first refugees to settle in the area. I have many fond memories of living by the sea and feeling welcomed by the people around me. We moved to London when I was seven with Dad’s job.
In my mid-30s, I swapped careers from being a teacher to becoming a fitness instructor and met my partner, Ibrahim. For a long time, I enjoyed the buzz of the city and the exercise classes I ran. But we were raising three children, Mya, now 17, Khayyan, eight, and Jayen, four, in a small flat in Woolwich. We needed more space, so in 2016, we moved to Kent.
Knowing that our seaside town was close to my first home in the UK, it felt right. I had taken a break from working to concentrate on caring for my family, when, in 2020 during the lockdown, like many others, I was itching for new hobbies outside of my regular routine.
We had an old Hula Hoop at home, so I thought it might be fun to try hooping. My friend, Tracey, also decided to try it. We followed online tutorials at home and, when rules allowed, we began meeting to practise together.
For Tracey, learning to Hula Hoop was a fun way to exercise, but I found I was growing more passionate about it. Once I’d managed to keep the hoop spinning around my waist,
I began learning tricks, such as moving the hoop down my whole body. Then I started entering competitions and enrolled in online teacher training.
I’ve always enjoyed teaching other people new skills, so in autumn 2021, I posted on Facebook to see if anyone would be interested in learning. Tracey agreed to help and our first class was held in our local church hall, where just
I have many fond memories living near the sea and feeling welcomed
10 people could fit inside as the hoops took up so much space. At first, there were hoops being dropped constantly, but we all saw the funny side and, by the end of the class, everyone was smiling. Now, I always remind each new class that everyone looks silly at first, before they can make hooping look effortless. You just have to embrace it!
Eventually, I reached out to the wider community, particularly anyone who couldn’t afford classes. I made my own hoops using cheap tubing and began hosting free ‘hoop jams’ by the beach, open to all. They became a huge hit.
I also held a group for over-55s through the charity Age UK. Because of my classes, I’ve made friends with women I may not have met otherwise.
People say they love the nostalgia of hooping and how it reminds them of their childhoods. For me, the best part of hooping isn’t the accomplishment after achieving a new trick or the rush of endorphins after exercising, it’s the joyful and inclusive community of hoopers I have around me.