Plymouth dance company receives £9,000 from national charity

Heart Research UK has granted over £9,000 to Plymouth-based Exim Dance Company for their new programme, which promotes healthy lifestyles and builds confidence through the use of dance. This project targets marginalised young people aged 5-18 (up to 25 years with disabilities) and women aged over 18.

Exim Dance want to provide high-quality dance and wellbeing opportunities in deprived areas of Plymouth, building a community and enriching the lives of those who are marginalised. The project will focus on helping people with mental health conditions, disability, people suffering from domestic violence, and also those from low-income families where drug use is affecting young people.

The aim of the project is to support young people, women, and their families with any difficulties they may be facing. This will be achieved by creating a safe space and exploring the use of dance, not just as an art form, but also as a support mechanism and an educational tool to achieve positive social and health outcomes.

Recent local research shows that one in four children will be overweight or obese by the time they start primary school, and this increases to one in three children once they start secondary school. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a further decrease in physical activity as well as a disruption to health services. To support and educate participants to make positive changes to their lifestyle, Exim Dance will also deliver healthy lifestyle talks, information around diet, advice on smoking cessation, and other health related issues.

The programme is divided into five different strands, each with one session per week over the course of 12 months. Each will target different age groups and people who are marginalised for different reasons. One strand is called 'Communities Together' and provides a weekly dance session for 11–16-year-olds from low-income families, who are at risk of crime and suffer from mental health issues. There are also strands providing mental health and peer support sessions.

As well as weekly sessions delivered by Exim Dance’s core team, external healthcare practitioners from One You Plymouth and Livewell Southwest will be joining the project four times over the 12-month project. These healthcare practitioners will deliver workshops around heart health, general wellbeing such as healthy eating, and the impact of stress on the heart.

The money for the grant was raised through Heart Research UK's partnership with Subway, through in-store donations across the country. Since 2001, Heart Research UK has awarded over 300 community grants, directly benefiting the hearts of over 70,000 individuals and countless wider community and family members across all regions of the UK.

Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK, said:

“Exim Dance Company truly deserve this grant for their project which will give marginalised young people and women the opportunity to become confident with physical exercise and create bonds within their community. Helping people live healthier, happier and longer lives is what the Healthy Heart Grants are all about.”

If you’d like to find out more about the Healthy Heart Grants, please visit https://heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-heart-grants/