Author: Fran Arnold

Darnall Well Being has developed a unique men’s session, which includes a light exercise session, a healthy lunch and a talk topic. The talk topic is an interactive part of the day, where everybody can ask questions and share their experiences.

The exercises in the session can be practised within the home and empower other members of the family who don’t attend. After the workout, members are invited to eat a light lunch of sandwiches and snacks together. Concluding the session, staff deliver valuable information on a range of topics, such as healthy eating.

Men’s Health group meets every week on Thursdays in Darnall. Contact us for more information and to book your place.

Client testimonial

I think this is a great idea, which helped me really to eat healthy and to watch everything I eat through the rest of the week. I am absolutely delighted to be one of the people who benefits from this great help and service which actually turned my views and habits about food upside down. The healthy food provided in this lunch club won’t be anything without the spirit of the staff behind this great job, they are very friendly, very helpful and they have inspired me and my two friends who attend with me to regularly follow a healthy diet forever, we all enjoy it very much. Big thank you for everyone behind the lunch club. – Tariq Elkhalifa, Hisham Idris, Siddiq Elhilow.

Community Mental Health Worker testimonial:

I referred my 65yr old, male client to DWB – he lives on his own and experiences low mood and is socially isolated. He attended their Men’s Group as this was based in the community near his home and was also culturally appropriate. DWB worked closely with me to encourage him to attend the group, offered to collect him from his home and sent him text reminders.

As this client was clinically depressed, isolated and hard of hearing these were vital factors that helped engaged the client. The joint work with DWB has contributed in helping this client maintain good mental health and help him make steps towards improving his quality of life.

In March 2024, local GP Dr Farrell joined Men’s Health Group and here’s what he had to say about his experience:

The quick witted nature and frequent banter from the Men’s Health Group made for a very entertaining session. Alfred’s ease at facilitating discussions around health and well-being, along with his motivational manner in encouraging us all to participate in accessible exercises was great to see. The complex health problems of some of the participants means that these sessions are often the only opportunities they get to interact socially and physically with others in their community. 

Dr Farrell, GP

This women only session is based around a chair and sitting down. It is gentle exercise to music. This session is an ideal starting point if you are just thinking about becoming active. It is also good for people with less mobility.

We hold women’s chairobics sessions in person in Darnall on Tuesdays and in Tinsley on Thursdays. See the flyer below for more details, and please contact us if you’d like to come along and join one of our friendly groups.

Quotes from participants:

I like the exercises – it makes me happy and I feel better, because all the movement is good for me – hands, shoulders, feet. I have told my friend and she is now coming as well. I’m not trying too hard to lose weight but I feel healthier.

I like this group because it makes me feel better. I have ME. I have depression as well. Coming here the exercise makes me feel better. I get a lot of pains and the exercise helps. Also getting out of the house and meeting people. This is the only place I come out to.

We’re very happy to offer two different Dementia Cafes for the community!

Our Making Memories Dementia memory cafe at St Mary’s Community Hub is a great opportunity to meet others every 2 weeks on Wednesday afternoons for a friendly chat, a cuppa and some fun activities, along with hearing from guest speakers.

We also run a monthly Happy Memories Dementia Cafe in Darnall on Mondays, with hot drinks, cakes and activities like we have in Handsworth, but which also offers language support for those who need it. Regular language support is available for Urdu and Somali speakers, but we can help with other languages, too.

To help us to manage numbers at both cafes, we do ask that you register with us before coming along – email dwb.enquiries@darnallwellbeing.org.uk or phone: 0114 249 6315 or 07495 548929.

If you’re not sure what to expect from a Dementia Cafe, here’s a short clip of Making Memories attendees playing Beetle together:

And you can hear directly from some of our Dementia Cafe attendees here:

He was animated, engaged and recalling his own history and happy doing it…. The locality of the cafe to his community means he’s been able to rekindle acquaintances with people he knew from his earlier life.

HJ, son and carer of Making Memories Dementia Cafe attendee

Please contact us if you would be interested in coming along to this group, which continues to meet every two weeks.

We also run a carers’ support group at Darnall Primary Care Centre with Sheffield Carers Service. For more details about this group, please click here.