People of all ages across the borough can take positive steps towards being more active, thanks to free and low-cost health and wellbeing opportunities supported by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. 

Working with partners, the borough council is offering sessions to support residents to access opportunities to work on their wellbeing.

The council is supporting weekly low-cost, pay-as-you-go classes to help older people stay active and build strength. Forever Fit sessions are held every Tuesday from 1.30pm to 2.15pm at The Ridgeway Centre in Buckskin offering simple exercises for flexibility, strength and balance for £3 per session, with no booking needed. 

And every Wednesday from 15 April at The Link in Tadley,  Love to Move sessions will be held providing age and dementia-friendly seated movement to music exercises for £3 per session, with no booking required.

New mums can also take advantage of low-cost, pay-as-you-go post-natal exercise classes - delivered by FitMama. The classes offer a safe space to repair, restore and rebuild post-birth, while also connecting with other new mums. The next course will run from Friday 17 April to Friday 3 July at Studio 41, Stroudley Road, Basingstoke.

For younger people the council has teamed up with the UK Mental Health Charity Sport in Mind to provide fun, free and interactive games sessions for 10 to 14-year-olds to help them build confidence, self-esteem and new friendships. The weekly classes are for all abilities and run in Tadley on Tuesdays from 4.30pm to 5.30pm and in Popley on Wednesdays from 4pm to 5pm in term-time.  

A series of free wellbeing walks also take place every month across the borough, coordinated by Basingstoke Voluntary Association and supported by the council. Led by volunteers, these group walks are aimed at all fitness levels to boost the health of participants while enjoying local, natural spaces in the company of others.

And weekly GoodGym sessions, supported by the council, are now underway where volunteers walk, jog and cycle to help people in their local community by doing tasks like painting, sorting and litter picking. It is free to join and open to all adults of all fitness levels. Goodgym is also keen to hear from charities and groups who need help.

Using funding from Hampshire County Council, the borough council is also helping older people to boost their strength and balance and avoid falls with Steady and Strong sessions. These sessions are being held as part of a wider initiative that focuses on being active, staying steady, staying hydrated and keeping socially connected. There are currently six sessions running at Oakridge Hall for All, Popley Fields Community Centre, Basingstoke Aquadrome, Tadley Health and Fitness Centre, Steventon Parish Hall and Brookvale Village Hall.

Cabinet Member for Communities, Partnerships and Inclusion Cllr John McKay said: “It is important that our residents have opportunities to be active. While we are not the authority responsible for health, we take our role in supporting our residents to access these opportunities very seriously.

“We are currently developing our new Active Wellbeing Strategy to guide our work and, while we do this, we are also supporting sessions designed to break down some of the barriers that may prevent people from exercising like cost and location. We are doing this through targeted low-cost or free sessions that support residents both new to exercise or wanting to be more active in different stages of their lives.

“People can become more active at any age and feedback from these sessions is telling us residents are feeling stronger, more confident and more connected. Small steps can make a big difference and I encourage people to learn more about these sessions and give them a try.”  

To find out more about all the council’s health and wellbeing initiatives visit https://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/current-health-initiatives