Health & Wellbeing of Adults Newsletter July 2025
Active Kent & Medway's 2025 Conference

SAVE THE DATE: We are delighted to announce the 2025 Active Kent & Medway Conference will take place on Wednesday 15 October 2025, from 9:30 to 15:30 at the Kent Event Centre, Detling, Kent, ME14 3JF.
Our confirmed keynote speakers include Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Executive Director of Place at Sport England and Sarah Philpott, five-time Solo Channel Swimmer, Original Triple Crown (World #7), Mental Health Warrior, Ocean and Environment Activist.
You will also hear from representatives across sport, physical activity, and health sectors as they take part in a Q&A session and talk about the contribution they are making to ‘Move Together’, the county-wide strategy for sport and physical activity. There will be a choice of bite-sized briefings on key topics, as well as the opportunity to network with other delegates throughout the day.
Everyday Active
Everyday Active is Active Kent & Medway’s flagship campaign helping more people to be more active in their everyday life. The website, www.everydayactivekent.org.uk is central to the campaign. It promotes activities offered by partners countywide and provides support and resources for health professionals, social prescribers, One You advisers and other partners to have meaningful and productive conversations about physical activity.
Workshops

The Everyday Active Workshop is for anyone wanting to improve their knowledge and understanding of the benefits of physical activity, to feel confident about having conversations with others to help get more people, more active across Kent and Medway.
Join us online for one of our free workshops taking place on the following dates:
- Thursday 18 September, 9.30 – 11:00
- Tuesday 2 December, 13:00 – 14:30
Register for an Everyday Active Workshop
Summer Activities

Our personalisation function on the Everyday Active website, makes it easy for users to find the activities they love.
For activity ideas this summer, there’s a great selection dedicated to ‘Active Days Out’, which you can further filter by activities to do on your own, with the family or where you can meet new people. Alternatively, you can search for activities in your local community, where our Everyday Active Champions are adding lots of summer activities every week.
We invite you, and your colleagues, to connect with Everyday Active on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn to keep up to date with activity ideas this summer.
Active in the Park

Park Yoga comes to Kent
Park Yoga is a registered charity that provides free yoga sessions in parks across the country every Sunday morning between May and September. Everyone’s welcome to attend – regardless of age, background or ability.
Victoria Park in Ashford is the first location in Kent to hold these inclusive, welcoming and friendly sessions. There’s no need to book, just turn up and join in!
Follow this link to find out more about Park Yoga

parkrun or parkwalk
parkruns are free, weekly, community events that take place all around the world. Saturday morning events are 5k and take place in parks and open spaces. On Sunday mornings, there are 2k junior parkruns for children aged four to 14.
In Kent we have 25 5k parkruns and 15 junior parkruns. The events offer a positive, welcoming and inclusive experience where there is no time limit and no one finishes last. Everyone is welcome to come along, whether you walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate.
Follow this link to find your nearest parkrun

5k Your Way – Move Against Cancer
5k Your Way is a community-based initiative to encourage those living with and beyond cancer, families, friends, and those working in cancer services to walk, jog, run, cheer or volunteer at a local 5k Your Way parkrun event on the last Saturday of every month.
Each of the 5k Your Way meet ups in Kent have ambassadors who will meet and greet at a designated meeting spot and also take part in the walk/run with participants. After the walk/run, the ambassadors will gather everyone together for socialising over a much-needed drink.
Let's Get Out There

This Girl Can has launched ‘Let’s Get Out There’ Campaign, designed to inspire women to enjoy getting active outdoors. Partners of the campaign include Forestry England, Canal and River Trust and the National Trust.
Women face greater barriers to accessing and enjoying outdoor spaces. This is especially true for women on lower incomes from underrepresented groups, including Black women, Asian Muslim women, pregnant women, new mothers, and older women.
This Girl Can provides lots of ways to get moving outside, showcasing the groups and organisations out there already overcoming these barriers. To support the campaign, you can download the campaign assets and guides to use on your own social channels and website.
Follow this link to This Girl Can ‘Let’s Get Out There’ campaign
Active Ageing

Dancing Through Life
Did you know that just one week in hospital can lead to 10% less muscle strength, and a 25% reduction in circulation and a decline in dignity, confidence and independence. For patients over 80 these stats become starker. Just 10 days of bed rest can lead to 10 years of muscle ageing.
Whilst recovering from heart surgery, former classical dancer, Geraldine, 95, embraced physiotherapy with all of the enthusiasm of someone with a lot of self-discipline and helped by her muscle memory, to get back on her feet. Geraldine’s journey is a powerful reminder of the benefits of keeping up with physical activity after an operation, no matter your age.
Follow this link to read Geraldine’s Story

Published: Kent Health Needs Assessment
The number of older people is predicted to increase significantly in the next 20 years. Staying active as we age isn’t just important, it is essential to boost our quality of life and help us to live better longer.
The Kent Health Needs Assessment Report brings together data regarding the impact of physical inactivity of older adults, reviews the barriers to, and opportunities for, physical activity and contains 50 recommendations focused on action to support increasing physical activity levels of older adults.
Exercise Referral Schemes

Exercise referral schemes are structured programmes where healthcare professionals, such as GPs, refer individuals to a qualified exercise professional to support their physical activity and health goals.
The schemes are typically designed for people with specific health conditions—like obesity, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease—who would benefit from increased physical activity but may need additional support or supervision. The aim is to improve overall health and wellbeing through tailored exercise plans, often delivered in community or leisure centre settings, helping participants build confidence and long-term healthy habits.
Follow this link to view a list of referral schemes across Kent and Medway
Other News
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you
If there’s anything in this newsletter you’d like to discuss, then just get in touch and one of our team members will get back to you as soon as possible. Please email: activekent@kent.gov.uk
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