Voices are meant to be heard

Its now coming to the end of 2013 and I thought I would do a round up of the year.

 Back in January I had a vision of using the skills I had learnt in sports massage to aid people rehabilitate and prevent injuries from daily living and leisure activities. But what it also included was helping the older generation with the positive touch side of massage. The people who forget what its like to have some quality time spent on them being pampered and who have their well being increased through the positive touch and the chat that comes with it.

The clients that I have talked to over the year have been some of the funniest and honest people I have known. Who though in severe ill health still had a sparkle in their eye and a smile on their face,(also some of them had a very naughty sense of humour!)

 Sadly, quite a few of them have passed away along the line, which has upset me as I have never been one to witness death well. But I am so glad to have met and known them while they were here. They have all left an impression on me that will stay forever.

Really, that's what it is about. Leaving a memory of you behind. Letting people in, to know you and you to know them.

A large part of improving your social well being is talking and sharing time with others. In Older Peoples Week we decided to create an event that would get the local population together to talk and share ideas. We had the support to run this with a grant from the council and from another local project called DIY Porters Lodge which is a community led street redesign project with Sustrans and the local council.

Playing hangman and everyone is concentrating

Carrot Cake!

This was a great first event for us where we put on a large spread for the locals to enjoy, games to interact with, and information at hand about local activities. The safer neighbourhood team also attended to share their knowledge with the residents and the event was shown in the Barking and Dagenham Post.

Everyone had a good time and it was very noisy! Which is good because that meant everyone was getting to know each other, talking, listening, laughing!

So, over the year Whole Body Therapy has decided to widen its services to meet the communities needs.  In the new year we will be setting up a new exercise class which aids in retraining balance and improving the strength of the older population, but will also be facilitating a community session which other than talking about how to reduce falls in your home, we will chat over tea and biscuits, discuss community events and ideas and be on hand to direct people to services which will help them.  But it is also to create a sense of community, to build friendships, share smiles and laughter and to let people know that they are not alone in the world. There are people who care and want to share their time with you.

I will talk more about the details of the project soon, but just wanted you to have an insight of how life experiences can change your perspective, alter your goals and aid your personal growth. as it has done for me this year. How building friendships with others can improve your overall well being and how taking that small step into the unknown or uncertainty can lead to greater rewards.

So for 2014, I would say this, if you have wanted to try a new activity or hobby ( something healthy of course) then give it a go! Keep an open mind and an open heart as life has a funny way of whizzing by very quickly. Look after your mind, body and soul but also your loved ones too.

From all of us at Whole Body Therapy we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tea Party Event to Celebrate Older Peoples week

Event Flyer

To find out more information about the days activities please visit our Facebook page

Fancy being part of something interesting??? Read on....

 

 Whole Body Therapy is now recruiting for volunteer management committee members. Here is the vacancy advertisement. Please have a read and if you are interested then feel free to contact me for some more information.

Our Vision:

·         To equip members of the local community the knowledge and skills to improve their long-term health and wellbeing.
·         To improve the health and well-being of the cared for population.

Our work aims:

We are a social enterprise which began in 2012 which is based in Dagenham and offers massage therapy to residents in the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham and Havering.

Our services are split into different areas:

Working with the elderly and disabled to:

·         Increase or maintain their mobility and dexterity whilst being cared for in their home or within a care home

·         Creating a positive touch one to one experience, therefore relaxing and calming them.

·         Aid in injury prevention and rehabilitation

·         Relieve joint pain and stiffness

Working with unpaid carers to:

• aid in injury rehabilitation
• aid prevention of stress related illnesses
• give relaxation 
• advise them about main stream services available to them.

Working with the younger generation and general population to:

•  make people more aware of their posture and mechanical faults therefore aiding injury prevention in later life.

Also to give general health advice and guidance to all which in connection with the massage intervention should improve their wellbeing and their quality of life.

 We are looking to recruit  volunteers at present for our management committee which currently consists of 4 members. We are interested in acquiring a range of skills to assist the governance of Whole Body Therapy and to push forward our aims and objectives within the local community.

We would need you to attend a minimum of 4 trustee board meetings a year.

Being a trustee offers opportunities to use your skills and experience for the community, make new contacts, develop new skills and improve career prospects and to make a difference in the area.

 In addition to the above opportunities we can offer you access to training and can cover reasonable travel expenses (up to £5 per meeting).

If you are interested in becoming part of Whole Body Therapy’s unique organisation and supporting us in our governance and developing our strategic direction please contact Sarah Allman; wholebodytherapy@hotmail.co.uk and she will email you an application form and more information.

Whole Body Therapy is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation and encourages applications from all communities. If you are not sure about what a trustee’s role includes then please contact us for more information.

We look forward to hearing from you.

www.wholebodytherapy.org.uk

Closing date for applications: 17^th May 2013.

Amazing community

Good morning all. Welcome to my Blog. We are a local social enterprise which aims to improve the health and well-being of the local community through manual therapy, nutritional advice and support.
My names Sarah and I am the founder of this organisation. I have found that a little knowledge and guidance can make a big difference in your health and well-being. To find out more about why I set up this service please visit: our website.

 This is my very first blog so I thought I would talk about volunteering in the community and the great services that they provide.

Yesterday was the annual Barking and Dagenham Community Sector Open day which was held in Vicarage Fields Shopping Centre in Barking. I've got to say, I was amazed at the amount of organisations that were there to help improve the health and wellbeing of our local community. It is heart warming to know that so many like minded people can join together on a day and realise they are not alone in trying to help others. I'm sure the local people did not realise there was so many either!

A list of the local groups available to the community are listed on Barking and Dagenham CVS website which can be found at www.bdcvs.org.uk .

The CVS  supports people who are considering setting up a third sector organisation or charity in the area and offer help if you are interested in getting involved in your local community such as volunteering ,so please have a look.

Through my work with the elderly I have noticed that there is not enough volunteers that are interested in becoming a befriender. Being a befriender is such a rich and rewarding job, not only are you making sure that a vulnerable person is safe and secure but you get to talk with people who have had so much life experience that you become empowered by their knowledge, their life stories and their humour!
If you are interested in more information please contact Barking and Dagenham CVS or D.A.B.D who both need volunteer befrienders.

Well, that's my first blog done and dusted! I plan on blogging about health and wellbeing, advice about fitness and nutrition and local services in the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham and Havering.

If you would like to have a chat about the services Whole Body Therapy offers to the local community then please feel free to contact me via the website or if you have Facebook then click on the link Facebook page.


Thought for today: Do something kind for someone today. It may be hold a door open, check on a neighbour or even just say hello to someone who may need cheering up. It does not cost anything but is so rewarding!

Thanks for reading!
Sarah