Article by:
Peter Johnstone
A disability dance fitness group started four years ago by a support worker from Falmouth has been selected by the Government as one of three flagship programmes for a fitness campaign.
Fit2Wiggle, which meets at the Highway Church in Penryn and at four other venues in Cornwall, was set up by Jeni Hawke in 2012 after two of her clients said they wanted to try out dance classes.
It has since grown to support around 300 adults with disabilities, and now it has been selected by Public Health England (PHE) as a shining example of how people of all ages and abilities can get active.
The group was mentioned by Dr Justin Varney, the national lead for adult health and wellbeing at PHE, in his latest Health Matters bulletin, as it aims to publish a report on inequalities in physical activity around the country.
Jeni said: "It's quite a big deal, and we are really quite grateful for it. We are amazingly happy.
"We are hoping that by being promoted by the NHS - all our funding comes from the Lottery - we are hoping this will bring in more responses so that this can go national. So every disabled person in England has an opportunity."
Jeni started Fit2Wiggle in 2012 with Gillian Sadler Embrace Dance Fitness after two ladies she supported through her work said they wanted to go to a dance class, and she realised that there was nowhere that could cater for them.
She said: "After ten weeks we noticed that we had started something amazing, and we made it into a proper group. That was with just seven people."
In September the Fit2Wiggle project will be at the launch of the Public Health Executive's 'getting active every day, whatever your ability' campaign, where it will be showcased as best practise.
Gill and Jeni are currently working behind the scenes developing their dance class to a format that can be replicated throughout the country.
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