Tag: Ageing Well

On Yer Bike!

New Ageing Well Bike Course starting next month

For those older adults looking to get back in the saddle again, Ageing Well will be starting a new 11-week cycling course on Monday, 10th July, where participants can develop those dormant skills in a relaxed and social atmosphere with like-minded companions.

The level 1 course, based on Cycling Scotland’s Bikeability material, will get participants comfortable again on a bike, developing skills, at a pace that suits them, on the 400m track at Saughton Sports Centre, a traffic free environment on which to learn to cycle. The course will begin on Monday, 10th July at 10am-12noon and run until 18th September 2023.

This is NOT a beginners’ course teaching people to cycle but is aimed at older adults who have not cycled for some years and who want to gain confidence and start cycling again. They will learn skills such as stopping safely, indicating correctly, and mastering the gears.   Bikes and helmets will be supplied but participants can also bring their own. The cost is £3 per week.

Cat Wilson, Edinburgh Leisure’s Project Officer for Older Adults explained: “Cycling is a great way to keep fit, active and mobile and enjoy the outdoors and countryside on the amazing network of dedicated cycle paths in the Edinburgh area.

“Perhaps you’d like to join grandchildren on family rides or just to meet some new people?  And don’t worry if you haven’t been on a bike for ages or don’t currently own one, we even provide bikes, helmets, and Hi-Viz vests, so all you need to bring is yourself! The courses are led by experienced, fully trained volunteers who are passionate about cycling and supporting those who would like to get back in the saddle.”

A level 2 Course will commence directly after Level 1 on Monday 25th September 2023 with 4 weeks from Ainslie Park and 4 weeks from Meggetland. This course will further explore the cycle paths of Edinburgh using the skills participants have learnt from Level 1.

For more information and to book a place on the cycle course, contact a member of Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities team on: Tel: 0131 458 2260 / Email: active@edinburghleisure.co.uk

The Ageing Well project promotes healthy lifestyles for older adults (typically 50+) in Edinburgh. The project is a partnership with NHS Lothian, Edinburgh Leisure and Pilmeny Development Project and is part of the UK Ageing Well network, which aims to increase the expectation of good health in later life.

Walk the talk and get active in 2023 with Ageing Well

Ageing Well, run by Edinburgh Leisure in partnership with NHS Lothian is seeking new participants to join various city-wide activities which support people to become, and remain, active in later life.

Available to join are Buddy Swim sessions, a 19-week cycle skills course and a two-week technical skills Nordic Walking course, which is followed by four weeks of walking around Edinburgh.

Cat Wilson, Active Communities Project Officer at Edinburgh Leisure said: “Ageing Well activities have been developed to cater for a wide range of tastes and abilities.  All activities are either led by or supported by fully trained volunteers, who are all older adults themselves.

“The emphasis is on meeting new people whilst making physical activity accessible and enjoyable. For anyone who has made a promise to themselves, or their family, to improve their fitness in the new year, now is the time to walk the talk and to register their interest in any of our Ageing Well programmes. 

“I can guarantee it will be a lot of fun, will improve their wellbeing and fitness, and all our activities are sociable, with plenty of opportunities to make new friends.”

Buddy Swimming is aimed at older adults, who perhaps lack confidence, to get back in the water. Participants are met and greeted by Edinburgh Leisure’s volunteers and ensure they have the support they require in the water, followed by that all-important chat and cup of tea afterwards.

Ageing Well’s Buddy Swimming takes place in three Edinburgh Leisure venues across the city, moving to four, when Warrender Swim Centre, reopens in early 2023.

  • Tuesday – Glenogle Swim Centre – 10.00 – 10.45am
  • Wednesday – Warrender Swim Centre – 10.00am – 11.00am (date of Warrender reopening is still to be announced)
  • Thursday – Drumbrae Swim Centre – 10.30am – 11.15am
  • Thursday – Royal Commonwealth Pool – 12.05pm – 12.45pm

The 19-week Cycle Skills course will start at the beginning of March 2023 and takes place on a Monday at 10am.

The initial level 1 course, based on Cycling Scotland’s Bikeability material is an 11-week course, which will get participants comfortable again on a bike, developing skills, at a pace that suits them, in a dedicated area at Saughton.

Level 2 lasts 8-weeks and gives participants the opportunity to explore Edinburgh’s extensive cycle path network, from the leisure centres at Ainslie Park and Meggetland.

Suitable for anyone who hasn’t been on a bike for ages or for those that don’t currently own one, Edinburgh Leisure can provide bikes, helmets, and hi-viz vests, but people are welcome to bring their own.

Ageing Well’s six-week Nordic Walking course launched in March 2022 and will start again in Spring 2023, day and date to be decided.

Nordic Walking is for everyone. Its origins are Finnish and it provides a total-body version of fitness walking with specially designed poles, not to be confused with trekking poles. It can be enjoyed at many levels, at low, medium, or high intensity.  The poles mean that effort is shared between the upper and lower body, so it feels easier than normal walking, particularly uphill. More than 10 million people globally enjoy this outdoor activity all year round.

Participants will meet at Brighton Park in Portobello and would be expected to attend the first two technical sessions to graduate. Each session will last 1-hour, and poles will be provided, if people do not already have their own.

Once group members have graduated from the 2-week introductory course, they will be eligible to join the Nordic Walking 4-week course, visiting various locations. These walks would take between 1.5 – 2 hours.

The Nordic Walking course complements Ageing Well’s already popular regular walks which take place in different locations around the city each week.

Ageing Well relies on external funding and donations to deliver its programmes across Edinburgh. A contribution of £3 per week for each activity is appreciated. This can be paid in one go or each week. People’s generous support means Edinburgh Leisure can provide a range of activities to reach more older adults in need of their support, protecting their health and wellbeing and improving their quality of life. 

In 2018 the Ageing Well programme was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), which is the highest award given to UK volunteer groups and is the equivalent of an MBE. The award reflects the tremendous contribution of Edinburgh Leisure’s Ageing Well volunteers and the positive difference they make to the lives of participants. 

To find out more about any Ageing Well activities, visit:

https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/activities/active-communities/ageing-well

Don’t delay registering your interest in any of the Ageing Well activities:  active@edinburghleisure.co.uk or call 0131 458 2260.

Step Forward! Edinburgh charity on the search for new volunteers to train as walk leaders

Edinburgh Leisure is on the search for new volunteers to step this way to train as walk leaders for their award-winning Active Communities programme, Ageing Well.

A Walk Leader training course will take place on Friday, 18th February from 10.00am – 1.30pm.  The training is laid back and friendly and there are no exam or tests.

The Ageing Well Project is run by Edinburgh Leisure in partnership with NHS Lothian and delivers a range of city-wide activities which support people to become, and remain, active in later life. The emphasis is on meeting new people and making physical activity accessible and enjoyable.

Ryan Dignan, Health Development Officer (Older Adults) at Edinburgh Leisure explained: “Our programme relies on the generous support of volunteers – older adults who give up 1 or 2 hours a week to help and support other older adults to get or stay active. 

“No previous experience is necessary – just enthusiasm, the ability to get on well with people from differing backgrounds and ages and a love of walking.

“It’s not just Ageing Well who benefit from the volunteers’ gift of time, our volunteers say that they develop deeper connections within their communities, feel better physically, mentally and emotionally; and are better able to manage health conditions such as stress.

“On completion of their training, they will lead or support one of the many weekly walking groups that take place across the city.

In 2018 the Ageing Well programme was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), which is the highest award given to UK volunteer groups and is the equivalent of an MBE. The award reflects the tremendous contribution of Edinburgh Leisure’s Ageing Well volunteers and the positive difference they make to the lives of participants.

Ageing Well activities have been developed to cater for a wide range of tastes and abilities and all activities are either led by or supported by fully trained volunteers, who are all older adults themselves. 

Jerry Gregson, one of Ageing Well’s valued volunteers who gives up 2-3 hours of his time each week, and who has been involved with the programme for 15 years explains: “Being retired, I love having the regular social contact that being a walk-leader brings, as well as the satisfaction of knowing I am doing something that is useful to others in our age-group.

“It’s also an excuse to explore the many highways and byways across the city. We take walkers to places they didn’t know about and wouldn’t go themselves, certainly not alone.  Even after 15 years, I get a kick from someone saying, ‘I’ve never been this way before’.”

Anyone interested in volunteering as a walk leader and to join the training course on 18th February should email: ryandignan@edinburghleisure.co.uk

For more information: Be Active – Ageing Well – Edinburgh Leisure

For more information of the weekly walks: Ageing Well Walks – Edinburgh Leisure

Ageing Well and Keeping Active

The award-winning project, Ageing Well, run by Edinburgh Leisure in partnership with NHS Lothian, will be starting two new activities in July, to support people to become, and remain active in later life.

Starting on Thursday, 8th July, there will be a regular Walk around Saughton Walled Garden with a volunteer walk leader. 

The walk is suitable for people who have not walked much before, and are looking to be more active, or are returning from injury or illness. The walk will take up to 30 minutes on flat ground or gentle slopes with firm surfaces and generally no steps.

Register your interest with active@edinburghleisure.co.uk. Participants should meet at the Garden Bistro, at 10.50am for an 11am start.  A contribution of £1 is welcomed towards the activity.

There will also be an 11 weeks’ Cycle Skills Course, starting on Monday, 12th July. This will meet at Saughton Sports Centre initially, with a further 4 weeks on the cycle paths leaving from Ainslie Park Leisure Centre and a further 4 weeks leaving from Meggetland. Good quality bikes and helmets are supplied to trainees so there is no need to own your own.

This course is suitable for those who wish to take up cycling again after a lengthy absence but lack confidence. The course will give participants an opportunity to improve confidence on a bike; increase bike-handling skills; put in to practice the skills they are learning; and the introduction to cycle paths, on the last two weeks of the course.

The course is very relaxed, sociable, and fun and is based on the Cycling Scotland Bikeability material adapted for adults. A contribution of £2 per week is asked from trainees to help towards the running costs of the programme.

Pre-booking a slot on the course is essential – active@edinburghleisure.co.uk

Ageing Well also has a walking programme, which has eight health walks across the city on different days, aimed at different fitness levels.

Further information about the different walks can be found at: 

https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/ageing-well-walks

Since their activities reopened after COVID-19 restrictions lifted again at the beginning of April, they have been supporting 120 older adults to be active again. The emphasis is on meeting new people and making physical activity accessible and enjoyable. All activities are either led by or supported by fully trained volunteers, who are all older adults themselves.

For further information, to register your interest and/or to book a slot, contact the Active Communities team on active@edinburghleisure.co.uk

Don’t Sit Still!

Young at heart get active with chair-based exercise

Active Communities March 2019

Edinburgh Leisure’s Ageing Well programme, working in partnership with Steady Steps, an NHS community-based health referral programme, has launched a new chair-based exercise class in a new locality at the Queensferry Sports & Community Hub. 

Running every Monday, from 11.45 am – 1.00 pm, the class launched on Monday, 3rd February with eight people attending and more participants expected over the coming weeks.

The Ageing Well Project, run by Edinburgh Leisure in partnership with NHS Lothian, delivers a range of city-wide activities which support people to become, and remain, active in later life.

The emphasis is on meeting new people and making physical activity accessible and enjoyable. Each session is followed by refreshments and time for that all-important chat and a cuppa.

Steady Steps is run in partnership with NHS Lothian and delivers group exercise sessions to people who have had or are at risk of having a fall with the aim of preventing future falls and injury.

There is scientific evidence that the exercise used in the sessions help to increase endurance, strength, flexibility and balance. The classes are delivered in a safe environment and can be adapted so no exercise is too easy or difficult for any individual.

Michael McLaughlin, Specialist Health Instructor at Edinburgh Leisure said: “These classes will act as a pathway for those attending Steady Steps, so they have a class to continue on to.  It will mean that they don’t undo all the hard work they have put in when they have been attending the 16-week Steady Steps programme for 1.5 hours each week.

“We’re also hoping to welcome any other older adults in the community looking to be active.  No specialist equipment or workout gear is required.  Just wear lose, comfortable clothes and trainers or soft-soled shoes.  It’s such a great opportunity to make new friends too and of course, socialise over tea and biscuits afterwards.”

A donation of £2 is welcomed for the class.

Interested?  Just turn up at the Queensferry Sports & Community Hub, 30 Ashburnham Road, Queensferry, South Queensferry EH30 9JN

Ageing Well allotment programme to run at Leith Links

Ageing Well, Edinburgh Leisure’s successful project promoting healthy lifestyles for older adults in Edinburgh, is launching their allotment programme at Leith Links.

It will run weekly from Wednesday, 20 March, from 10am-1pm. Continue reading Ageing Well allotment programme to run at Leith Links

Who’s next? City nominations sought for Queen’s Awards

As deadlines loom, the Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh has called on people across the city to nominate outstanding volunteers and organisations for special recognition from the Queen. 

Frank Ross hopes to see the exceptional contributions made by some of the city’s brightest and best businesses and most dedicated volunteers shortlisted for the 2019 Queen’s Award for Enterprise and the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Continue reading Who’s next? City nominations sought for Queen’s Awards

Queen’s Award for Ageing Well

Edinburgh project Ageing Well, which promotes healthy lifestyles for older adults in the capital who are inactive, has been awarded a prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS), the ‘MBE’ for volunteer groups.

Continue reading Queen’s Award for Ageing Well

Winners of the 2018 Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service announced

A record 250 voluntary groups from across the UK will today receive a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for their work in their communities. Among them are the volunteers from the Scottish Seabird Centre at North Berwick and two Edinburgh organisations: Ageing Well volunteers (above) and LINKnet Mentoring, who provide advice and guidance to BME people. Continue reading Winners of the 2018 Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service announced