A key GM Moving priority is to embed physical activity as a tool to help improve mental health
A focus on mental wellbeing is key for the whole population.
Greater Manchester Moving is vital to recovery from the pandemic - both our individual and collective recovery. We need to recognise the significant impact the pandemic has had on everyone, and promote physical activity as a means to reconnect with friends and family, enjoying the outdoors, nature and feeling better again.
GM Moving, GM Health and Social Care Partnership, Mind, local authorities, and other GM Moving partner organisations are working together to align and fully integrate physical activity alongside better mental health and wellbeing.
Men United Against Suicide FC
Men United Against Suicide FC gathers like-minded men who have suffered in many ways from a decline in their mental health and/or indeed suicide. Here we hear about how the club uses football to support their players' mental wellbeing.
No 93 Wellbeing Centre
No 93 Wellbeing Centre is a community hub at the heart of Harpurhey, an important place for the whole community. In the video below, we hear about how the centre uses physical activity, through bike libraries and gardening, to support their members' mental wellbeing.
Healthy Hyde
Healthy Hyde work with the 8 GP practices in Hyde. They are a Primary Care Network (PCN) supporting 72,000 patients in Tameside. We visited Healthy Hyde to hear how they use physical activity and movement to support their young peoples' mental wellbeing.
Chloe's Story
As someone who's suffered with anxiety and periods of depression for a long time, Chloe found a way of coping. Sometimes that involves getting outside and connecting with the world and with nature. Walking is perfect for this, and Chloe explains how.
Football Freedom Project
The Football Freedom Project brings up to 100 refugees together every week to play football. The sessions, funded by Sport England Together Fund, were attended by mainly women but also men and children from African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries. More information here.
The Federation of Jewish Services
The Federation provides advice, support and care services for people of all ages in Greater Manchester's Jewish community. They used GM Walking and Wheeling grant funding to host socially-distanced walks to support those with a range of mental health conditions. Read their story here.
Stockport User Friendly Fellowship
In Stockport, this group used a GM Walking and Wheeling grant to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of participants through a Walk and Talk psychotherapeutic walking group - limited to 6 people. Read their story here.
Nature for Health
Nature for Health was an outdoor-focused activity engaging individuals most at risk of developing poor mental health and created the activities and support they needed, whilst making the most of the natural environment. More information here.
Strategic Director, Eve Holt, spoke to Ruth Rosselson, Resilience Coordinator at Manchester Mind to discuss the links between our mental health and our physical health. Ruth's helps people manage challenges, changes in life, and stress by running various courses and workshops. Download the full episode transcript here.
The GM Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is ‘Doing Mental Health Differently 2024-2029’.
The strategy sets out what we will do together as a city-region to improve the mental health of people in Greater Manchester, to better support those with mental ill health and to reduce mental health inequalities across our city region.
We believe that ensuring physical activity is embedded in the strategy is essential to realising its ambitions with considerable engagement alongside stakeholders across Greater Manchester shaping the strategy's development.
The Greater Manchester Big Conversation aimed to hear from people and communities across Greater Manchester about what’s important for their mental wellbeing. The objective is to use the information to understand what matters and to shape future
initiatives to improve mental wellbeing, making sure they reflect the needs of local people. The results showed that Greater Manchester residents clearly emphasised a need for more to be done to protect and improve their mental wellbeing.
They have put forward many ideas for how we could do things differently. Now the system will be working together, to respond to these findings to improve mental wellbeing for all in Greater Manchester. Read the full report here.
Feel good your way aims to challenge preconceptions of what exercise is and inspire girls to be more physically active to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Find out more about the campaign on our children and young people's mental wellbeing webpage.
Feel good your way campaign video
Supporting people to hold a life-changing conversation
Investment from NHS Greater Manchester is worth £2m over the next three years to March 2027.
Joe Sarling joined GM Moving on 1 July with Kate Harding starting her new role next week (8 July).