Social Action for Health’s Good Moves project nominated for prestigious London sports award

Restoring the joy of exercise was key to Social Action for Health’s Good Moves project, which came to life in lockdown and was shortlisted for a prestigious London Sport Award.

Led by project manager Nimo Mohamed, Good Moves is a social and holistic eight-week course that takes into account all aspects of health and wellbeing for adults in Tower Hamlets, especially the elderly with long-term illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.

Good Moves’ culturally sensitive exercise classes, offered in a variety of different languages, like most things online, were enforced when Covid-19 broke out. Undeterred, they remain an important pillar of the community and are one of three final nominations nominated in partnership with Gympass for the Health and Wellbeing Award.

The winners of the London Sport Awards in association with the City of London Corporation will be announced on December 6th at the Guildhall in London.

“We were so happy and excited to be nominated because during the lockdown a lot of organizations closed and closed and there wasn’t much activity,” said Mohamed, 48, of Bethnal Green.

“So that we are recognized for the hard work we have put in bringing back good moves from afar; we are really happy to have come this far.

“It took the community we work with, people who are at risk from their long-term illness and who have many language barriers, four months to get people back into the community.

“We had to redesign our project, consult with the local people and train our teachers. Zoom was a new platform to use, but now most of our sessions are remotely and people are comfortable with it. ”

For the past five years, the annual London Sport Awards, in partnership with the City of London Corporation, has grown to be the city’s largest celebration of grassroots sport.

Would you like to be part of the #LondonSportAwards?

Tickets will be released on Tuesday at 9 a.m., so keep your eyes peeled

In the meantime, @quinsfoundation, @Open_Age and @SAfHUk are our finalists for the Health and Wellbeing Award in collaboration with @ GympassUk🏆 pic.twitter.com/MfXsfAupP5

– London Sport (@LondonSport) November 12, 2021

And this year’s flagship event will once again recognize, celebrate and highlight the stories of the incredible individuals, groups and organizations for their outstanding work in the capital helping Londoners of all ages and backgrounds to be physically active.

Good Moves physical activity consists primarily of 30 minutes of gentle exercise, including chair-based movements, and is accessible to all, bringing health benefits to vulnerable seniors who have been cut off by coronavirus restrictions.

Launched in 2000, the program had its most challenging yet, but responded with good style as participants really appreciated the extra effort it took to get things started virtually.

Moderator Alea Ismail, 53, said: “You [the participants] really appreciated the exercise and simple physical movements and found that they really benefit their general wellbeing.

“Once attendees got used to Zoom and realized that Zoom was a real training tool, it became a lot easier to teach them and everyone enjoyed it.

“It was new to me, but I also trained myself so it still helped me! It was really comforting and enjoyable that we could still tap into people.

“The shortlist is a great recognition of the hard work we have put into over the years, and particularly into the lockdown as it is desperately needed in a highly deprived area like Tower Hamlets.”

The London Sport Awards, in partnership with the City of London Corporation, put a spotlight on the unsung community heroes who help Londoners of all backgrounds enjoy the benefits of physical activity and sports.

Find out more about the awards and how London Sport aims to make London the most physically active city in the world http://www.londonsport.org #MakeYourMark