News & Sport for Harwich & Manningtree, Leisure and local info From Harwich & Manningtree Standard

Estate gets happy and healthy - fun event aims to boost pride in the Woodgrange community

From the archive, first published Monday 5th Mar 2007.

A PACKED programme of fitness sessions, salsa and belly-dancing, plus the offer of healthy living advice, attracted hundreds to a family fun day on a Southend estate.

The Circles community group, organised the Happy and Healthy event on the Woodgrange Estate, as the latest measure to boost pride in the community.

The estate has been dogged for years with vandalism and antisocial behaviour and Circles is leading the way in turning the estate around by giving support and advice to residents.

At the fun day, attractions included a healthy eating area, with fresh fruit to sample, a baby massager who offered massages to adults as well, advice on growing vegetables and a craft area where model human skeletons were being created.

There were also yoga sessions, blood pressure testing, body-fat comparison, a fruit and veg quiz and special events for children.

Rachel Wood, project co-ordinator said: "It was fantastic to see so many people enjoying themselves and trying new ways of getting fit and healthy.

"I would like to thank Southend Adult Community College and Estuary Housing Association, which runs the estate, for everything that they did for the event."

Holly Cannon, 11, who lives on the estate took part in a belly-dancing session.

She said: "It was excellent. The dancers really were very good and it was so much fun."

Barbara Anderson, in her fifties, from Southend, added: "What a treat the whole event is! I really needed something like this after a stressful week."

The Circles project hopes to put on further such events in the coming months.

Circles - it stands for Central Information Resource for the Community for Learning, Education and Skills - is a voluntary organisation.

It has been promoting access to education for all since 2000, working alongside Southend Adult Community College.

Co-ordinator Ms Wood explained: "We want to be right at the centre of the community, providing not just the educational needs of families, but also emotional as well."

Circles aims to provide free access to computer equipment, help people get jobs and provide help and advice to improve the community and stop people feeling isolated.

Ms Wood added: "A lot has happened since the project began with parent support, a toddlers' club and a computer club being offered.

"We have also worked with older members of the community to produce memory books of their life stories.

"We did a similar event last year, called Art Attack, focusing on arts and crafts. Our aim is to put them on more frequently."

By the end of the year, the project wants to expand its family learning services to help parents assist their children with homework and make sure they keep on top of it.

"We are also keen to explain the education system more to parents who do not understand things such as the key stage tests.

"If they don't understand the system themselves, it is much more difficult to help guide their children through it."

If you can spare a few hours a week to help Circles, or would like to offer the project financial support, call 01702 600211.