Out of the armchair and ‘Making Mates’ -Over 50s given a Sporting Chance

We are delighted to announce results showing great improvements in mental and physical health for participants in our Sporting Chance projects, which includes Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Sheffield. Thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, hundreds of local men, over 50, have benefited from taking part in local activities.

Sporting Chance  improves both the mental and physical well-being of older men – who are often isolated and more likely to suffer from serious long-term illness – through a range of free volunteering activities such as such as exercise classes and social groups. Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week, a survey by Volunteering Matters shows that 99% of those who took part in Sporting Chance in the North East  said it had helped them to make new friends and improve their social lives.*

Our studies also show that Improvement in  their health has resulted in less visits to GP surgeries – with 55% of participants in Sheffield saying they now need to visit the GP less often.**

Gill Watson, the project development officer for Middlesbrough, said: “We are making a big difference; participants report weight loss, reduced medication, improved mood, better mobility and an overall increased sense of wellbeing. Nearly all participants report increased socialisation opportunities; they ‘get out more; and have’ lots of new mates’.”

 

*This stat is based on an aggregate of data from 90 participants across the Sporting Chance projects in Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool.

**The stat came from a survey of 48 men who participated in Sheffield Sporting Chance projects.

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