Blues Foundation have worked closely with Penrose, a housing charity, to provide a wraparound wellbeing package that promotes active lifestyles and healthy eating.

Penrose are a local housing charity who are part of the Social Interest Group. One of their support services, Holman House, is located right in the heart of Bedford Town Centre offering a safe, peaceful and supportive living environment for individuals wishing to engage with support to assist them in increasing their levels of independence.

The weekly project, which has been designed specifically to combat health inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic, addresses physical mental wellbeing throughout these challenging circumstances.

Our support provides a free weekly meal, produced by Taylor’s Kitchen at Goldington Road, and a sport and activity session. In turn this promotes the value of a healthy meal and keeping active. Some of these residents have significant health issues including, addiction, alcoholism, and poor mental health.

This project has been funded through Sport England and teamBEDS&LUTON’s Tackling Inequalities Fund, which has been devised during the coronavirus outbreak to allow community focused organisations and charities to use sport as a tool for the greater good.

Hayden’s story:

Hayden has been with Penrose Housing for 14 months and has been in and out of work intermittently. We have seen him each week as part of the well-being support offered to residents.

“I do some cycling and I walk from time to time, but the sessions each Monday give me motivation for the rest of the week. Its good to do something different, its nice and relaxed.

“The sessions have helped boost my fitness and my mood and sometimes me something to get up for on a Monday morning. Some days I won’t have a reason to get up, but I look forward to the sports on a Monday.

“The meals have really helped to, money can be a struggle so having something I can defrost that is ready to go really helps me. They are really filling meals too, again, this just means that once or twice a week I don’t need to worry about cooking or buying food.

“The weekly programme has also helped bring the residences together, we don’t often do things together, we all have our own challenges, so I have enjoyed getting to know them more.