Dan had never focused on his health and wellbeing. He had struggled with his weight since his teenage years and had battled with low self-esteem. At his heaviest, Dan weighed over 22 and a half stone. Despite losing some weight, he struggled to maintain his weight loss and found himself
Claire started volunteering at the All Saint’s community garden in Small Heath in February this year. With a passion for growing, gardening and, composting Claire was keen to get involved, lay the groundwork and help get things started with the growing space for local people to take ownership. Claire feels
At The Active Wellbeing Society, we’ve been working with Birmingham City Council’s Active Travel Fund and Raleigh UK to give away 500 more Big Birmingham Bikes across the city this year. Big Birmingham Bikes is a city council initiative which works to increase the health and mobility of those who do
On Wednesday 2nd March, we ran a community litter pick at Bordesley Green Recreational Ground. This event was part of our Step Back Out project, which encourages people to get active in their local communities. It was amazing to see that despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions, a lovely group of
Ambreen was born in Pakistan and moved to the United Kingdom in 2006. She experienced domestic abuse within her marriage for many years but chose to stay with her partner for the sake of their children. When the abuse became more violent and reached a serious physical assault, she decided
Thiago is a journalist from Brazil, who came to Birmingham temporarily to work on a British Red Cross project with refugees. Alongside this, he also decided to volunteer with The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS)’ Community Food Project. Thiago found out about our Big Feed Project’s Community Cafes, and decided to
Mary enjoys walking, spending time outside and being active. She visited her GP as she was experiencing loneliness and issues with her mental health. The Doctor referred her to one of our Social Prescribing Link Workers, who connected Mary with our Listen & Connect service. Listen & Connect is a
At The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS), we have recently taken on our fourth and final cohort of Kickstart employees. Kickstart is a Department for Work and Pensions programme which supports young people, aged between 16 and 24 who are at risk of long-term unemployment, to gain skills within employment. In
David’s background is in the private sector and 3rd Sector and volunteering. He started his working career after leaving The University of Manchester in the public sector working as a social worker in the Northeast of England. David then spent almost 40 in years in the pharmaceutical industry. He initially
On 10th March 2022 The Social Prescribing Network are celebrating #SocialPrescribingDay. The event aims to recognising local community groups and projects which have kept us healthy throughout the pandemic and beyond. We want to recognise our amazing Social Prescribing team and our partners (PCNs, OHP) who work so hard to provide patients
All this week, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day #IWD2022, through stories of inspiring women who are #breakingthebias and motivating the next generation. Starting with our very own CEO Karen Creavin. She founded The Active Wellbeing Society in 2018, after working on the wellbeing programme at Birmingham City Council. In 2021 TAWS
At 60-years-old, Annie was struggling with her health, she had severe asthma and was diagnosed with diabetes. After entering into early retirement, her doctor prescribed her a free 12-week gym programme, in hopes of improving her physical health. “I went and started at the gym, and then when I went
It’s Food Waste Action Week – a week dedicated to raising awareness of the environmental consequences of wasting food. Did you know around 1/3 of the food we produce worldwide is either lost or wasted, and 45% of domestic waste across Birmingham is food. There is a lot of food
Gemma receives mental health support from her GP and Birmingham Healthy Minds, an NHS psychological therapies service for people with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Until recently, Gemma had been unable to leave the house for two years. She explained that she would have a panic attack, “just answering the
We know that spending time in nature, and feeling connected to our surroundings, can have lots of physical and mental health benefits. The Active Wellbeing Society and the Active Communities programme support local organisations, groups, and communities to reimagine and take ownership of green space, so that their wellbeing benefits
The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) are taking part in the Government’s Kickstart scheme, which provides funding to help employers create jobs opportunities for young people. We have 30 placements in total, during which the Kickstarters are supported to develop skills and experience in the workplace. One of last year’s
The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) are providing 30 job opportunities as part of the government’s Kickstart Scheme, which creates six-month job placements for 16 to 24-year-olds who are on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. The scheme aims to support young people to bridge the gap between leaving
David has struggled with mental health difficulties for 28 years. He explained that he could be very low at times and had been feeling very isolated. Recently, David moved to Schoolacre Road Surgery in Shard End, where the GP reviewed his medication and referred him to Lorna, one of our
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The Active Wellbeing Society Limited (registered no.7595) is a charitable community benefit society