Loneliness Awareness Week runs from Monday 14 June to Friday 18 June and aims to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of loneliness.

Activate Seniors is a dynamic engagement programme for over 50's that aims to develop and enhance their experiences, focusing on key areas such as reducing social isolation and loneliness, improving health and wellbeing, and bridging the generation gap through inter-generational schemes.

The programme delivers across four main themes - Exercise and Mobility, Reminiscence, Adapted Sport and Intergenerational Activities - and is led by the needs of local individuals and groups. It helps participants to develop new skills through a variety of learning opportunities which enable them to remain active within their communities, homes, and personal lives.

Patricia Evans has attended our exercise and mobility classes for two years and she said: ‘What is so brilliant about the sessions is that our Chelsea Foundation session organiser has been able to tailor the sessions to the needs of the individuals attending.

‘You have to realise that none of us are particularly young anymore and as a result we are not necessarily at the same stage physically.

‘Sometimes it is just a case of a temporary muscle strain, or it could be a more serious problem. Whatever it is, Ellie is able to suggest how we could tailor the particular exercise to suit our needs.

‘It has also been great to meet up with other people and share our experiences in a fun and light-hearted way – in person and on Zoom.’

The global pandemic has meant many groups and communities have faced issues such as social isolation, that naturally have had a detrimental effect on many people in our communities.

On top of our Reminisce Sessions, Chelsea Foundation have been at the forefront of delivery to provide additional wellbeing support in the community during these unprecedented times.

The Foundation has offered a variety of online activities including giving our pensioner groups the opportunity to access free exercise equipment, and virtual exercise classes provided by members of the Chelsea staff.

Working alongside Stoll, an organisation who house and help vulnerable veterans, the Foundation’s Health and Wellbeing team have delivered coffee mornings, exercise and mobility circuits and chair-based exercise sessions all via online video calls.

Participants were also given an Activate Seniors activity booklet and equipment pack to give them guidance on how to keep both the body and mind active while at home during lockdown.

Participants on our Bridging Forces and Activate Seniors programmes were also provided with iPads to ensure they were able to stay connected with the club and their families.

The Foundation also created a series of Team Talk support networks for groups to keep in touch, while Chelsea players past and present checked in via online calls with our walking football participants.

For more information on our Health and Wellbeing programmes, including Activate Seniors, click here.