Love to Move: The Legacy Programme
There was a lot to celebrate last week at the Gymnastics World Championships held at the M&S arena in Liverpool. Hundreds of athletes from all corners of the world went head-to-head over nine action-packed days. And while Team GB did exceptionally well, the British Gymnastics Foundation was there, celebrating Love to Move as the Legacy programme for the event.
It was a fantastic opportunity to tell all the spectators that, through Love to Move, gymnastics is transforming the lives of people living with dementia all over the UK and beyond.
As part of the World Artistic Gymnastics Championship 2022 legacy programme, British Gymnastics Foundation and Liverpool City Council have come together to train deliverers across Liverpool to ensure the community has access to the benefits Love to Move can bring.
We are looking for another 10 deliverers to train in Liverpool – if you would like to become a Love to Move deliverer, please email [email protected]
An exercise programme with a difference
We got lots of exposure for Love to Move throughout the week, as Kim Hall, our Lead Love to Move deliverer was interviewed in the arena just before each competition session, doing a fantastic job in promoting the life transforming programme. The Head of our charity Patrick Bonner was also there at the last weekend of the Championships. Beyond the competition arena, Patrick was invited to do an interview on BBC Radio Merseyside.
Love to Move is an exercise programme with a difference. It is based on fundamental gymnastics skills and supports the development of strength, balance, flexibility and co-ordination as well as improving memory, cognition and social engagement.
Thousands of older people across the UK are benefitting from the exercises which help to stimulate both sides of the brain independently resulting in participants and carers reporting improvements in memory, speech, mobility and re-gaining functions to support independent living and improved quality of life.
British Gymnastics Foundation have trained 650 people to deliver Love to Move. They deliver sessions mainly in the UK however, since moving courses online, people have trained from Malaysia, USA, New Zealand, and Brazil.