Using the newly opened Letham Community Hub, Letham4All appointed a dedicated, highly qualified Health and Well Being Activities Worker to design and implement a flexible, co-designed, and completely accessible physical activity programme. Removing all financial barriers by offering sessions entirely free of charge (on a voluntary donation basis), the project developed a comprehensive weekly timetable targeting three core delivery areas:
Regular Programme Exercise Groups: Highly tailored clinical and low-impact streams including Mature Movers (delivered three times a week to satisfy demand), Stretch & Strength, Chair-based Yoga, and Circuits.
Thematic Support & Inclusion: The launch of a dedicated Ladies Gym Hour to break down cultural barriers and foster exercise confidence among women, alongside intensive Teen Gym sessions paired with formal Dynamic Youth Awards.
Intergenerational & Youth Outreach: Active engagement sessions for younger generations including Kids Hour, school holiday Little Stars Sports, and Family Nerf Wars to establish healthy habits from an early age.
To successfully manage the overwhelming, unprecedented demand for the Community Gym, Letham4All trained its Community Hub Assistants to deliver specialized equipment inductions. This procedural adaptation successfully freed up the core Health and Well Being worker to maintain a continuous cycle of personalized, 1-to-1 participant care and agile timetable development
The project has delivered extraordinary local outcomes, severely crushing initial targets by engaging over 90 active participants per week (surpassing the original milestone of 40).
By March 2025, total Community Gym membership skyrocketed to 448 people. According to post-code tracking data aligned with ACORN categories, 78% of all participants originate from areas defined as 'Urban Adversity' (Category 5) or 'Financially Stretched' (Category 4), definitively proving that the initiative successfully broke down severe socioeconomic barriers to health.
Key evaluation survey results further demonstrate the profound clinical and holistic impact on the community:
Health & Well-being: 96% of surveyed participants reported that the sessions improved their health and well-being either a "great deal" or "a lot," noting reduced stress, diabetes management, and invaluable support for stroke and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) rehabilitation.
Falls Prevention: 86% stated the classes significantly improved their strength and balance, markedly restoring functional independence to post-operative and arthritic patients.
Social Connectivity: 77% experienced an improved sense of community belonging, reducing devastating isolation through post-class social gatherings at the hub's affordable community café.
"Brian has two walking sticks for his balance and also has the start of dementia. When we started Mature Movers, he could only walk round the gym with his two sticks and now, with Lisa’s care and attention, he can walk unaided. I don't know what we'd do if these classes were not there. They are a lifesaver for me and Brian. Also, at Mature Movers, I manage to enjoy the session and Lisa becomes his carer for 45 minutes!" — Betty Rennie, Wife and Carer for Brian
"I am recovering from a stroke. Your gym activities are invaluable. I wouldn't be able to afford anything else, so this has been a godsend. I would miss the company too... instead, I would just be sitting in the house on my own." — Anonymous Service User
"The activities help regulate my stress levels and emotions after work in an NHS role and a busy life caring for young and elderly family members. They can be adapted to my fitness level and have improved my overall physical and mental health... they have boosted my concentration levels, confidence and self-esteem." — Anonymous Service User
In Their Own Words:
