Active Calderdale have partnered with St Augustine's Centre, Halifax to enable their members to be healthier, happier, and more integrated into community life in Calderdale through moving more and being active.
St. Augustine’s Centre is an independent charity. They provide a warm welcome and safe space to people seeking support and sanctuary. St Augustine’s offers specialist advice on immigration and asylum support, and one to one support with welfare, housing, health and access to wider services. Just some of the services they provide are:
- Hot meals
- English language classes
- Training
- Cultural, social and well-being activities
- Trips and away days
- Volunteering opportunities
As a core member of the Calderdale Valley of Sanctuary, their aim is to share stories and build awareness about human rights, advocating and campaigning locally and nationally.
They have 12 staff, 140 volunteers and a community of 750 members from 57 different countries.
With support from Active Calderdale, St Augustine’s have sought to make physical activity and wellbeing a more embedded offer as part of the support they provide. The aim has been to use physical activity and sport to enhance the health and wellbeing of their members as well as to support their members to integrate into community life in Calderdale.
To achieve this St Augustine’s have been actively working to:
- Expand their assessment process that new members undertake to incorporate and include physical activity and wellbeing interests, skills and needs.
- Provide one to one support to individuals to support them to be active based on their interests.
- Develop a diverse activity programme in line with the needs of their members.
- Develop connections with community PA and sport providers in order to enable their members to access community sport and physical activity provision.
- Provide training to wider stakeholders including leisure and physical activity and sports providers to help them to better understand immigration and asylum seekers so they are better equipped to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Here’s some of the impact they’ve had to date:
