Game Changing Community Programme provides innovative mental health support

A new innovative mental health programme has been supporting local people from across the Wigan borough.

The programme has been delivered in partnership with Wigan Athletic Community Trust, Wigan Borough NHS Living Well, Wigan Council, BeWell Wigan, Wigan Rebuild with Hope and the NHS Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust.

Utilising a ‘trauma-informed’ approach, the programme puts peer support, physical activity and the empowerment of individuals at the forefront of its design. The programme is delivered across 12 weeks to cohorts of up to 10 people referred to the programme by Wigan Borough Living Well.

Each person has access to an NHS Living Well Peer mentor for support, guidance and positive encouragement over the 12 weeks.

Through 1-1 meetings, phone calls, peer group meetings and attending physical activity sessions together, the aim is to encourage positive habits and coping strategies to alleviate mental health impacts.

Every Thursday evening, the group enjoys a different activity that uses local amenities that are made accessible, thanks to Wigan Council. These activities have included mental health walks, gym circuit sessions, spin classes, rock climbing, crown green bowling and many more interactive fitness/ movement sessions.

Alongside the Thursday evening sessions, participants also have weekly Peer support sessions with their mentors on Tuesdays to discuss their progress and topics such as the benefits of goal setting, personalised physical activity programmes, and different activities that they can access across the borough.

On Saturdays, all participants were invited to attend a gym session with the support of the programme’s Living Well Peer mentors and BeWell Wigan personal trainers. This helped to build individual confidence and feel comfortable in a gym environment.

The programme had a significant impact on all of the people who took part in the programme. One of those is Martin, who cited the programme’s impact on his physical health and confidence as having significantly improved his quality of life.

“Two weeks before Christmas, I went to take my own life. I was struggling with low mood and was not motivated to do much. My lifestyle was lacking activeness, and I was forced to take a step back in my career due to my battles with mental health.

“My physical health has massively improved, and I have noticed a big improvement in my social anxiety. Meeting new people and inspiring others to just go for it has helped my anxiety and I have received comments from people praising how well I look since starting the programme and how my confidence has grown over the weeks of participating.

“All the classes within the gym programme have been interesting. In particular, I enjoyed participating in the rock-climbing session as this helped me overcome my fears of heights and challenged my mental resilience. I had never done this activity before, so it was one of many that I have enjoyed and has given me the confidence to try out new activities.

“The gym programme has brought my self-confidence back. The programme has encouraged me to improve my fitness levels and given me the courage to finally complete my five-year plan; this has led to a more active lifestyle and given me the confidence I needed to step forward within my career and continue to do the job I love.”

After a successful pilot, the programme will continue to support local people for the next two years thanks to funding Wigan Athletic Community Trust has received from the National Lottery Community Fund.

To find out more about the programme, please email Wigan Athletic Community Trust’s Health Engagement Manager, Jamie Cook, at [email protected]