Healthy Life is the name of the scheme, and it’s headed up by fitness coach, Steve Little who works for the Bolton Community Leisure Trust, which operates Farnworth Leisure Centre, Westhoughton Leisure Centre, Horwich Leisure Centre, the Sir Jason Kenny Centre and Leverhulme Park Community Leisure Centre.
Steve has been on a networking mission since the scheme launched in 2024, linking in with various health service providers, so they’re aware of what the leisure centres can offer people living with conditions like type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, long-Covid or those recovering after experiencing a stroke, like Alan Jackson, who started on Healthy Life at the Leverhulme Park centre back in early October 2024.
“It’s been brilliant, exactly what I needed”, said Alan. “Without Steve instructing me on what to do, I’d have gone rogue. I know myself. And that’s what would have happened. I’d have come in here, gone on the weights, overdid it, and because I’d failed, it would have put me off for good.”
Steve and his team of seven know how to get the best from the people they’re supporting, even if that means advising them on something they don’t want to do! Alan’s first ever session being a case in point. He turned up for his first day at Leverhulme, and Steve told him they were going up to the gym, which is on the centre’s first floor. Alan immediately looked for the lift.
“Walking in general is an issue, and walking up stairs, I just get out of breath. I looked for the lift, but Steve wasn’t having it, and said we were going to use the stairs.”, he added.
Walking to the top of a couple of flights that day in October, Alan was out of breath, but fast forward just two months and he’s strolling up the stairs like it’s nothing.
Steve and his team have a goal, helping their clients towards the NHS target of 150 minutes of activity a week, Currently, Alan does 45 minutes, three times a week, but that’s built up from his initial visits, which were just 20-minute sessions. He’s on track, but he has a number of short and long-term goals. Being able to walk normally, and keep up with his wife, Patricia when they go out is one of them.
“We went shopping to the Middlebrook near Bolton Stadium a while ago, and just walking from one end of the indoor centre to the other nearly finished me off. I was with my lad, Chris, and I said ‘I think I’m gonna need a taxi to get me back!’. I bought myself a pasty, sat down for a while and had to wait till I had the energy to walk to the car.”
Alan was mad-keen into sports as a younger man, someone who thought he understood how best to get and stay fit.
“The support from people like Steve is so important. I thought I knew what I was doing. But, when you’ve had a stroke, you need professional guidance on how to exercise, and how to ease yourself into things.”
“Steve is helping me get back to the person I was. I want to get as much back as a I can. I’m pretty determined, so I’m confident I’ll stick to his programme.
“I want to do this for me, but also for my wife, Patricia. I don’t know where I’d be without her.
“One day, I want to be able to dance with Patricia again. I mean properly, not just using my shoulders, but moving my feet, like we used to when we were younger. With Steve’s help, I’ll get there.”
Steve is pleased with Alan’s progress and the progress of the scheme overall.
“We’ve got around 15 people signed up currently, but I’m looking at a target of 60 by April 2025. When you have a client like Alan, who really puts the effort in, the improvements in people’s health can be lifechanging!”
The Bolton Community Leisure Trust operates five facilities across Bolton, in partnership with Serco Leisure and on behalf of Bolton Council. For more information about the trust or to enquire about the Healthy Life scheme, visit the website: Bolton Community Leisure (boltonleisure.com)