Tag: GOGA Tayside

Poster that is split with text and a photo. The photo on the right is of a young boy smiling and participating in sport. The text is on the left and says, get out get active impact report: supporting healthier, happier and more active lives.

Thousand More Active Thanks to the Power of GOGA

Get Out Get Active (GOGA) has released its latest impact report, showing thousands of people across the UK have been given the opportunity to be active thanks to the programme.

Designed to support disabled and non-disabled people to enjoy being active together, GOGA has reached more than 55,000 people since its inception in 2016.

Funded by Spirit of 2012, Sport England and London Marathon Foundation, with Activity Alliance as the creator and lead partner, it has transformed people’s lives. From swimming clubs in the south of England to walking groups in Northern Ireland there have been 3,331 activities and interventions in its seven years.

It strengthens communities, with six in 10 GOGA participants saying they are now more connected within their community. Seven in 10 have continued to be active and maintained their activity levels outside of the GOGA programme.

In Scotland, GOGA Tayside is a collaboration between NHS Tayside and Scottish Disability Sport with the unique opportunity and approach to strengthening links between physical activity and health.

“GOGA provides fun, free and inclusive activities with the aims of improving health, self-esteem, mood and energy levels, whilst fostering community connectedness,” – GOGA Tayside.

GOGA Tayside is now proudly funded by Tayside Health Fund from October 2023.

As well as participants there have been more than 4,000 volunteers engaged at sessions, with almost three in 10 volunteers having a disability.

Adam Blaze, CEO of Activity Alliance said:

“Get Out Get Active proves time and again how inclusive activity can benefit people across the UK in more ways than just becoming active. As the creator and lead partner it perfectly encapsulates ways to achieve our vision of fairness for disabled people in sport and activity.

“By focussing on creative and innovative ways to engage people GOGA is leading the way. A flexible and fearless approach to trying and testing new activities has led to remarkable results.

The impact on individuals and communities has been incredibly rewarding to see. With local expertise thousands of the least active people in society have been given a chance to enjoy a happier and healthier life. GOGA uses activity for good and we can’t underestimate the impact of the programme.”

Ruth Hollis, Chief Executive at Spirit of 2012, said:

“As the founding and principle funder of Get Out Get Active, Spirit’s largest funded project, we are delighted to share the impact of the programme. GOGA has enabled thousands of people, young and old, disabled and non disabled, to be active together across the UK – focusing on reaching those with the highest barriers to taking part.

“This report shows that GOGA has had a demonstrable impact on the wellbeing and sustaining participation in physical activity for people in communities across the UK. It should be a call to action for others in the physical activity sector or wanting reduce health inequalities to learn from GOGA’s signature person-centred approach in all future programmes that set out to tackle inactivity.

“I want to thank the team at Activity Alliance and Wavehill and all those that delivered the programme across the UK for delivering this to the people that need it most.”

Whilst aiming to get some of the UK’s least active people moving more, the financial benefits are brought to life in the latest impact report. It shows that for every £1 invested, GOGA has delivered more than £4.60 in social, environmental, and economic value.

The report showcases the insight gathered throughout GOGA’s lifetime, providing valuable information for those that want to mirror the successes seen. It shows that GOGA has become much more than an activity programme. It is an approach to helping organisations and communities, across the UK, to support the least active disabled and non-disabled people in activity.

You can read the full Get Out Get Active Impact report on the Get Out Get Active website here.

Photo of patients sitting on yoga mats in a garden outside, participating in yoga and mindfulness. They are sitting in a circle on the grass at Carseview Hospital.

GOGA Tayside Advocating ‘Movement in Medicine’

By William Moncrieff, Communications Apprentice

May has been themed “Moving For Mental Health” by sportscotland. This is providing the sporting community with fantastic opportunities to highlight the relationship that physical activity has with improved mental health. 

Get Out Get Active Tayside (GOGA Tayside), one of Scottish Disability Sports’s (SDS) partners, has been at the forefront of this ongoing pursuit, using physical activity as a resource to improve physiological and psychological wellbeing.  

GOGA Tayside are delivering several classes per week in mental health wards throughout their region. These consist of two sessions per week on four wards at Murray Royal Hospital and one session per week on four wards at Carseview Centre.  

Lee-Anne Herbert, GOGA Tayside instructor, often delivers these classes with the goal of providing more people with opportunities to become physically active as well as supporting the inpatients to feel confident participating in the sessions and applying the tools once discharged, which has been the case on several occasions.  

Lee-Anne explains: “Physical activity plays a crucial role in personal wellbeing as it is a simple tool to help improve overall quality of life and general wellbeing. A phrase I often share with clients is Movement in Medicine.” 

Lee-Anne’s classes started a little over two years ago at Moray Royal Hospital and due to their success, they have since expanded. This is seen as a huge achievement.  

“Activity supports the mental wellbeing of every individual & the benefits of simple movement shouldn’t be underestimated. The more that people can get moving in some capacity, the healthier our communities will be”, said Lee-Anne.  

When classes are being delivered, there is a great opportunity to provide participating patients with an opportunity to be socially interactive. 

“Social interaction is a huge part of many of the sessions. The closed ward sessions that I deliver are an easy way to encourage people out of their rooms and into a supportive environment to enable peer group interaction. It’s important to be able to give that opportunity”, commented Lee-Anne. 

The sessions delivered are yoga and mindfulness. These provide every participant with an opportunity to become more physically active, whilst giving them practical breathing routines that they can implement into their everyday life. This has resulted in some great feedback. 

“The ward activity coordinators often tell me that clients have been using the breathing techniques that I teach when they feel under stress. In a few specific cases, staff have offered feedback that the client is much more at ease in the ward and around other people since starting the sessions”, said Lee-Anne. 

She went on to say: “Every session I see a difference from how people present at the start to how they present at the end. Sometimes, it’s a simple change in how high they are holding their shoulders and sometimes there’s such a difference in their whole personality, much more relaxed and open.” 

GOGA Tayside’s work has been well received by many. Their work in the Amulree wards in Moray Royal Hospital received the Mental Health Nursing Practice & the Johnathan MacLennan Excellence Awards for ‘Innovations in Improving Physical Health and Wellbeing’ at the 2023 Scottish Mental Health Nursing Forum. 

 If you would be Interested in finding out more about Get Out Get Active (GOGA) Tayside, and how you can get involved, please visit here.