A Social Prescription approach to wellbeing

Housing and employment charity and social enterprise Aspire Oxford work with a range of community partners across Oxfordshire, including Active Oxfordshire, Fit Union and Blenheim Estate, to provide accessible opportunities for connection, socialising, activities and the receipt of support to improve wellbeing for local people facing disadvantage or affected by homelessness and poverty.

Within these partnerships, we take a Social Prescription approach to wellbeing – ensuring that these opportunities to get social, active and inspired work to alleviate mental health difficulties, combat mental distress, physical inactivity, social isolation and, where appropriate, reliance on medical services.

Studies show that spending time outdoors and increasing activity levels has a positive effect on mood and overall wellbeing. Aspire’s commitment to social prescribing includes boxercise sessions, gym club, access to sporting and coaching qualifications, support with accessing personal hobbies and interests, and access to Aspire’s wider guidance across employment and housing.

Walking to wellbeing

The newest additions to this approach rooted in nature and the outdoors are Aspire’s wellbeing walks in the grounds of Blenheim Estate and the natural spaces around Bicester, offering six weeks of walking integrating physical activity with wider support, to support project participants to stay active, build positive relationships and confidence, explore new opportunities and focus on their aspirations.

Lisa’s story:

“Aspire came along when I was dealing with great difficulty, stuck in a hotel, homeless, with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Aspire took me out for day trips to walk with other people in similar positions around Blenheim Estate, helped me with my housing and with so many other things – I don’t know where I’d be now without Aspire. They have lifted me up and helped me back on the right track to go forward with my life.”

Find out more

To find out more about Aspire’s active and social opportunities, please call Nikki Aitchison on 01865 204450 or email nikki@aspireoxford.co.uk. For Aspire’s full range of support across housing, employment, homelessness prevention and personal development for Oxfordshire, visit our website. Here, you can also browse how you can support our much-needed work today – from donating and fundraising, to volunteering and spreading the word about what we do.

Find out more about Aspire on our Univ in the Community page. You can also email Aspire.

Published: 2 February 2022

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