A key GM Moving priority is to embed physical activity as a tool to help improve mental health
A focus on mental wellbeing is key for the whole population.
Greater Manchester Moving is vital to recovery from the pandemic - both our individual and collective recovery. We need to recognise the significant impact the pandemic has had on everyone, and promote physical activity as a means to reconnect with friends and family, enjoying the outdoors, nature and feeling better again.
GM Moving, GM Health and Social Care Partnership, Mind, local authorities, and other GM Moving partner organisations are working together to align and fully integrate physical activity alongside better mental health and wellbeing.
Football Freedom Project
The Football Freedom Project brings up to one hundred refugees living across Greater Manchester together every week to play football. The sessions in Ardwick, funded by Sport England Together Fund, were attended by mainly women but also men and children from African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries, giving them access to physical activity and improving their mental wellbeing. More information here.
The Federation of Jewish Services
The Federation has provided advice, support and care services for people of all ages in Greater Manchester's Jewish community since 1867. During the pandemic, they used GM Walking and Wheeling grant funding to host socially-distanced walks to support those with a range of mental health conditions, particularly those who found themselves lonely and/or isolated. Read their story here.
Chloe's Story
Chloe's walking story (right) shows how, as someone who's suffered with anxiety and periods of depression for a long time, she found a way of coping.
Sometimes that involves getting outside and connecting with the world and with nature. Walking is perfect for this, and Chloe explains how, after a period of difficult mental health, it's a great first step in rebooting her mood and getting back on her feet.
Stockport User Friendly Fellowship
In Stockport, this group used a GM Walking and Wheeling grant to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of participants through a Walk and Talk psychotherapeutic walking group - limited to 6 people. Read their story here.
Nature for Health
Nature for Health was an outdoor-focused activity engaging individuals most at risk of developing poor mental health and created the activities and support they needed, whilst making the most of the natural environment. This included physical activity such as walking, cycling and other outdoor exercise, providing nature activity kits, gardening, food growing schemes, conservation training, volunteering opportunities and education. More information here.
Strategic Director, Eve Holt, spoke to Ruth Rosselson, Resilience Coordinator at Manchester Mind to discuss the links between our mental health and our physical health.
Ruth's helps people manage challenges, changes in life, and stress by running various courses and workshops. Download the full episode transcript here.
The GM Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, ‘Doing Mental Health Differently 2024-2029’, was launched to stakeholders and partners in November 2023 with a public launch expected in Spring 2024.
The strategy sets out what we will do together as a city-region to improve the mental health of people in Greater Manchester, to better support those with mental ill health and to reduce mental health inequalities across our city region.
We believe that ensuring physical activity is embedded in the strategy is essential to realising its ambitions with considerable engagement alongside stakeholders across Greater Manchester shaping the strategy's development.
The Greater Manchester Big Conversation aimed to hear from people and communities across Greater Manchester about what’s important for their mental wellbeing. The objective is to use the information to understand what matters and to shape future
initiatives to improve mental wellbeing, making sure they reflect the needs of local people. The results showed that Greater Manchester residents clearly emphasised a need for more to be done to protect and improve their mental wellbeing.
They have put forward many ideas for how we could do things differently. Now the system will be working together, to respond to these findings to improve mental wellbeing for all in Greater Manchester. Read the full report here.
Feel good your way aims to challenge preconceptions of what exercise is and inspire girls to be more physically active to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Find out more about the campaign on our Children's Mental Wellbeing webpage.
Feel good your way campaign video
An extensive programme of walking and wheeling events, which aligns with National Walking Month, is available online thanks to submissions from Greater Manchester groups.
The first ever Strength-Training Awareness Day on Thursday 4 April aims to raise the profile of strength training with positive stories on social media using the hashtag #StrongEnough.
Live Well is the name of our collective movement for community-led health and wellbeing across Greater Manchester.