Supporting wellbeing at St Matthew's

St Matthew’s Church in Rastrick is not just a place of worship – it’s a growing hub for community connection and wellbeing. With support from Active Calderdale, the church has launched new Pilates and indoor kurling & bowls sessions at its Parish Centre – a welcoming and accessible space familiar to regulars and now open to the wider community.

Denise Young, a dedicated church volunteer, shares how these sessions came to life and the impact they’re already having.

"I would say that when designing the whole project, it was important to involve people from within the church community who were keen to support the activities. This meant we had a core group of people to help us get the sessions up and running. They could also offer a warm welcome to people from Rastrick who wanted to join but might not be involved in the church.

We identified time slots when the Parish Centre wasn’t already being used. I then created a questionnaire to find out which of those time slots were most popular, what kinds of activities people were interested in, and how much they were willing to pay.

I researched the costs of similar existing activities. This helped us agree on a price that was realistic, sustainable, and attractive to both church members and Rastrick residents.

Anthony connected us with local social prescribers. I also attended Rastrick Partnership meetings, which helped me build links with these professionals. Alongside that, my connections through Rastrick Big Local sparked helpful conversations to spread the word about the sessions.

At the moment, we have 15 people signed up for the Pilates sessions. In the first few weeks of bowling and kurling, we’ve also seen an average of 15 participants. It’s proving to be a popular range of activities that appeals to both men and women. I’m so pleased it's going well."

Anthony Whittaker, Public Health Practitioner at Calderdale Council, was keen to stress the importance of connecting the church to other local assets in the area, leading to a more joined-up approach to promoting physical activity.

"The way St Matthew's Church is playing its part in supporting the community to be more active is fantastic. The work the volunteers have done to enable the sessions to get up and running, coupled with the investment from Active Calderdale, has created a real success story. We now have a local church connected to other local assets, including health services, supporting inactive people to become active."

Participant feedback

It gives me a chance to have fun and a laugh whilst doing some exercise - I'm not a gym person but I like doing this.

It helps encourage me to do some exercise - I like meeting the people and having a chance to socialise.

I enjoy the company and everyone is mixing with everyone, which is really nice.

It's helped me to meet new people.

St Matthew's Parish Centre is located on Church Street, Rastrick, Brighouse, HD6 3NF. Call in for more information or find them on Facebook.

Activities Timetable

Bowls and kurling - 10.45am - 11.45am every Tuesday

Pilates - 09.30am - 10:30am, every Tuesday (no sessions during August 2025). Pilates spaces are limited, so please contact St Matthew's for availability.