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Health Development

 

Melissa McCarthy
Health Development Officer
I have been working in Leisure for 9 years, starting in the private sector, then for a short time in local authority when Tone was Taunton Deane Leisure, and now for Tone as a leisure trust. Most of my career development has taken place in my roles at Tone, where I have received training that has enabled me to develop and deliver health-related exercise programmes to local people, including exercise referral programmes, cardiac rehabilitation, falls prevention, flexercise chair-based activity for older people, MEND 7-13 programmes for treatment and prevention of childhood obesity and health walking. As a district development officer working in health and physical activity promotion, I work in partnership with other organisations and professionals who share common objectives in improving the health and well-being of local people through physical activity participation.

Common Objectives of Health Development Officer and the Active Lifestyles Officer
The role of Tone's Health Development Officer and Active Lifestyle Officer is to ensure that the provision, uptake and promotion of physical activity opportunities are maximised for adults and children within the Taunton Deane area. There is a particular emphasis on developing active lifestyle provision in areas of deprivation to target adults and children who are overweight or obese, adults with long-term conditions and older people, enhancing community development and reducing health inequalities. Click here to take you to the Active Lifestyles.

ProACTIVE Physical Activity Referral Scheme

Tone Leisure is a provider of NHS Somerset's ProACTIVE Physical Activity Referral Scheme. The scheme has been designed to introduce you to a more physically active lifestyle, with a team of qualified instructors to support you. The course gives you the knowledge and confidence to exercise independently beyond the 8-week course, so that you can maintain your health and well-being.

Individuals who have a health condition to which exercise would be of benefit can be referred to the scheme by a health professional. The scheme operates at Wellington Sports Centre, Blackbrook Pavilion and Wellsprings Leisure Centre and provides you with a course of supervised activity sessions.

You are able to take part in as many of the activity sessions as you want to, with guidance from your instructor. Towards the end of your course, you can review the achievements you have made with your instructor and they will help you to make plans for further activity.

Click Here to download an information leaflet about the scheme.
Click here to download session timetables for all centres.

ProActive Phase IV Cardiac Rehabilitation

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Phase IV Cardiac Rehabilitation is offered at Wellsprings Leisure Centre where Tone has a team of BACR (British Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation) instructors. The programme is offered to individuals who have recently received treatment for a cardiac event (referral is from the Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse), and to those who have a medical history of coronary heart disease (referral is usually by your practice nurse or your GP).

Following a consultation appointment between yourself and the instructor, an agreed programme of progressive exercise is devised. Exercise sessions are group-based circuit exercise and take place every Tuesday and Thursday 12:00 - 13:00 at Wellsprings Leisure Centre. The course aims to build upon your fitness and encourages you to lead a more physically active lifestyle, giving you the confidence to exercise more independently beyond the 8-week programme.

MEND 7-13's

Tone's MEND 7-13 programmes are funded by the Big Lottery. MEND stands for Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do it! It's a fun, family-focused course that takes place after school where kids and their parents can learn how to lead a MEND-friendly lifestyle! Kids that stay MEND-friendly will grow up to be fitter, happier and healthier!

Thanks to the Lottery-funding, this course is free! That's 20 sessions of fun games, great resources and activities in 10-weeks, all for FREE! You even get your own backpack with t-shirts, a water bottle, ball and folders that are yours to keep, plus access to the MEND World website!

Sign up now for the next MEND programme! You need to be aged between 7 and 13 years old and we need to know your height and weight to check that MEND is going to be right for you. Parents/ Carers can phone (01823) 273084 or register online by clicking the link below.

Click here to download the MEND Registration Form.

Click the link to visit MEND Central website http://www.mendprogramme.org

Walking for Health

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Tone's health walks programme is part of Natural England's Walking for Health initiative and its gone from strength to strength, year on year since it started in 2005.

What is a health walk?
It's a brisk walk done on a regular basis for well-being. It can help you to feel good, to have more energy, to sleep better and to manage your weight. There are so many benefits from health walking- we're sure you'll see a difference in yourself even after your first walk!

The Walk Well in Taunton scheme has been recognised by Walking for Health as one of the best schemes around and has been given the accreditation badge to show it. All walks are free of charge and are led by a team of Volunteer Walk Leaders.

There is a wide choice of walks for you to choose from- having a choice allows you to progress on to more challenging walks as your fitness improves, or to slow-up if you should wish to.

Walks take place every Wednesday and Friday at 10:15, with longer walks taking place once a month on a Monday. They start from a whole range of different places in Taunton making it possible for you to find one near you.

What do I need?
There are no rules about what you should wear on a health walk so wear what you feel comfortable in! Download the current programme, choose a walk that will suit you best and come along!

Please download our latest Health Walks Leaflet for Taunton.

Walk Well in Wellington is the new "sister" programme of Walk Well in Taunton. The scheme launched in July 2011.  Walks take place every Monday and Thursday at 10:30 from various meeting points in the town. Walks range from 30 minutes to 1 hour- see programme for details.

Please download our latest Health Walks Leaflet for Wellington.

From July 2011 to March 2013, Tone is providing a support function to the Mendip Health Walks scheme in Somerset.  If you are interested in Volunteer Walk Leader Training please call 01823 273084 or e-mail click here

Please download our latest Health Walks Leaflet for Mendip.

For walks in other areas of somerset click the following links:
Sedgemoor Health Walks
Living Well Somerset
South Somerset District Council

Would you like to volunteer?
Do you enjoy being active yourself?
Would you like to help other people become more physically active through walking?

Tone Leisure provides a local one-day training course for volunteers to become health walk leaders.

If you are interested in developing your skills and becoming a volunteer health walk leader, please contact the Health Development Officer on (01823) 273084 or e-mail m.mccarthy@toneleisure.com

Physical Activity Promotion for Mental health and well-being
At some point in our lifetime, we, or someone that we know, experiences mental health problems. Physical activity is not only beneficial to our physical health but also our mental health too, and they are strongly linked!

What are the benefits of physical activity to your mental health?

Tone Leisure plays an active role in promoting positive mental health through physical activity via the following programmes:

'Soul Walks - let your feet do the talking' is an initiative that was developed by the Somerset Physical Activity Group for mental health. It started in 2008, encouraging people to walk for their well-being and to celebrate World Mental Health Day in October. A Soul Walk is a health walk with a difference! Tone links up with other local organisations to provide Soul Walks in Taunton Deane.

In-house exercise sessions for Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Physical activity is used as part of treatment and recovery programmes for adults who are experiencing mental distress. Tone Leisure works in partnership with Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to provide in-house exercise sessions for its patients on a twice-weekly basis. As well as practical activity, the specialist fitness instructor works with the Occupational Therapist and nursing staff to promote a healthy lifestyle now and in the future, to aid recovery and maintain well-being.

Click the link to visit the Time to Change / Time to Get Moving website http://www.time-to-change.org.uk

To find out more about the Go Wild, Stay Well initiative with Mind in Taunton and West Somerset, and their Walk on the Wild Side sponsored walk, click here. To find out more about the Cultivating Wellbeing programme in Somerset click here.

Healthy Workplace
A workplace can play a part in promoting health and well-being to its employees by encouraging them to lead a physically active lifestyle inside and outside of work.

An initiative for Tone Leisure and 2 other organisations in Taunton Deane is coming soon!

The ProActive Golf Associates
The ProActive Golf Associates is an independent group that formed in 2004. After completing the ProActive Physical Activity Referral Scheme provided by Tone Leisure, a group of individuals decided to maintain their regular activity sessions by meeting up and playing golf. They went on to form a society and the ProActive Golf Associates was established. The PGA welcomes people who have completed an exercise referral via Somerset's ProActive Physical Activity Referral Scheme and who are looking to remain active by playing golf and anyone who sees golf as a means of supplementing their health and fitness. The society is independent from Tone Leisure but Tone is pleased to mention it here and signpost people to the group.

If you are interested in joining or would like to know more about the ProActive Golf Associates, please contact:

Richard on 01823-666462 or Barry on 01823-257821