Central & Fife
Back to Central & Fife
SUPER Movers
Everybody starts slowing down as they get older, and fitness is a hugely important way of reducing that rate of decline, improving not only physical health, but also mental well being. The Stirling based SUPER Movers project aims to get people over 50 in the Forth Valley up and about using a wide range of fun and stimulating exercise opportunities.
Championed by Stirling University Physical Education and Recreation for Seniors (SUPERS), the project will target people who experience barriers and are currently excluded from physical activity due to poor health and fitness, lack of mobility, and limited, if any, resources.
SUPER Movers aims to identify volunteers over 50 to become ‘fitness leaders’ themselves, providing training in a newly created fitness qualification and an SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) approved certificate. These volunteers will visit church halls, care homes and even individual homes in order to maximise their reach into the community. Sports studies students from Stirling University will act as buddies to volunteers, helping them deliver activities and also creating better understanding between younger and older people.
The University of Stirling are supporting this project and will design the exercise qualification and create special modified equipment packs suitable for use in small activity spaces. They will also create resource cards to support the volunteers in their lesson plans.
What the group says:
Why should people vote for you?
This is a unique project. It will be the first of its kind to run in the UK. SUPER Movers will use the skills of active people over the age of 50 to motivate and engage those who are not active within this age range. The project will motivate people to see that anybody can take part, regardless of age and ability, and will demonstrate the direct benefits of being involved in physical activity. Even after the project has finished the network of volunteers and resources produced will make sure this is not just a three year project but that the benefits of SUPER Movers will continue for many years to come.
What will you spend the money on?
The money will help the project run over a three year period – It will make sure that every residential home in the Forth Valley area has a SUPERS pack containing equipment for delivering physical activities and resources cards to help support lessons. Every single residential home in the area will have the opportunity to send a member of staff on the fitness leader training course free of charge, as the cost will be covered by the project. SUPER Movers will pay for the design and approval of the qualification and transport expenses for all volunteers giving their time to deliver activities. The programme will only be successful if it is well run and managed to do this we will appoint two members of staff over the 3 year period to run the programme and deliver the courses.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites