Aylesbury Healthy Living Network (AHLN)

This programme was set up in 2003 to promote greater social interaction and friendships among the target communities via the participation in sport and physical activity in order to reduce social isolation and associated mental health problems.

Working in partnership with Southwark Primary Care Trust and Aylesbury NDC, the programme incorporates all ages of Aylesbury residents including healthy walks, keep-fit sessions and a running club, which are directly provided by the SAZ Physical Activity Co-ordinator, Philip Bobia, alongside a variety of other activities including dance and yoga as well as water-based sessions such as aqua fit.

The programme continues to be a huge success and residents participating in the programme have provided positive feedback:

‘I do aqua and a bit of swimming… and also do chair exercises… I have a breathing problem and [pain in my] knees and back, but I’ve done lots of exercise since I moved in here [Darwin Court].  It gets my joint moving freely and helps with my breathing’ (SAZ participant)

‘I took early retirement at the end of September and I started here mid-October.  I go to line dancing and keep fit here.  I have high cholesterol – I have been told to do more exercise and do a low fat diet.  I’ve lost 13lbs in 3 weeks’. (SAZ)

*Both quotes are taken from the Aylesbury Healthy Living Network June 2005 evaluation report written by Catherine Flynn and Keri Lewis (joint Co-ordinators) and Elizabeth Rawson (external Consultant).

Mind, Exercise, Nutrition and Do-it (MEND)

The MEND project was originally set up as part of the healthy schools programme as a Research Project out of Kings College Hospital. The project is specifically for overweight children and their families and looks at ‘Mind’: goal setting, self esteem and basic parenting; ‘Exercise’: both land based and in the pool; ‘Nutrition’: including portion sizes, label reading, fats and sugars; and ‘Do it’: this is working with the knowledge the families have been given and maintaining the good work started. The course runs for 18 sessions over 9 weeks, twice a week for two hours. The first hour is theory based and the second hour is the children’s activity session.  We have completed four programmes so far and there are currently 5 running; 4 in Southwark and 1 in Lambeth.  All results so far have showed a loss in weight and waist circumference and an increase in children's activity levels out of school.

North Lambeth Healthy Living Network’

Coming soon.