‘Love to Move’ with MHA Communities

Helping older people keep active and connected are top priorities for Julie Dowie, Scheme Manager and the team at MHA Communities.

She set out details on their exciting plans at a recent meeting with local MP, David Rutley. 

Ms Dowie explained to David that MHA has received £1,000 funding from the British Gymnast Foundation to provide training on the ‘Love to Move’ programme. This new local initiative will start in April, at their Calvary lunch club. Training has been provided to Ms Dowie to enable her to offer specialised chair-based exercises for those with dementia or limited mobility. This will help cognitive stimulation and increase independence by helping to enhance the mobility of those who attend.

Following the pandemic, MHA has been re-starting a number of groups and activities. The team provides three lunch clubs at: Macclesfield Methodist Church; Calvary Church, Merebrook Road, Macclesfield; and Shrigley Court, Church Street, Bollington. There are several lunches each month at each of the locations. A monthly Bereavement Brunch has also recently been introduced to help support any members suffering from the loss of a loved one. In addition, MHA provides a monthly outing for their members, including barge trips on the Macclesfield canal, visits to local shopping centres and pub lunches.

MHA is the largest charity care provider for older people in the UK, founded by the Methodist Church in 1943. It offers a wide range of services for older people, from care homes to retirement villages to a number of social groups held in person and online.

Across Macclesfield, 158 benefit from the services of MHA, with the hope this will grow to 180 in 2023. In order to provide all of its services, MHA relies on volunteers who work to make a difference to lives of older people across our communities. Those who would like to get involved, can find more information at the following website: 

https://www.mha.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/.

Speaking after the visit, David said, “MHA Communities provides well respected care through the wide variety of services and the support that the team offers. The work Ms Dowie and her team are doing to keep their members active and to alleviate loneliness is invaluable. I look forward to attending one of the lunch clubs again in the near future and hope that more local residents will be able to play their part in assisting with these impressive activities.”

Pictured - David Rutley MP and Julie Dowes at MHA.