Move Momentum is a Winchester-based charity providing accessible, inclusive and affordable dance classes. When the pandemic hit, like everything else, classes had to stop.
Through the Covid Recovery Fund – which aimed to alleviate some of the negative impact of the pandemic on vulnerable people – HIWCF granted Move Momentum a total of £4,650. This grant helped Move Momentum’s Gems dance project for over 65s continue running. It’s a friendly and relaxed dance class which includes a mixture of seated and standing movement with a focus on going “at your own pace” and having fun.
Susan is a Gems regular and she explains what the classes mean to her:
“I joined Gems because of my love of dancing, and the amazing dance teachers with their wonderful professionalism and joyful inspiration along with the like-minded lovely people in the class keep me coming back each week”.
Susan is currently well on the way to recovery after having a major operation, and the Gems classes have aided in her recuperation.
“The classes have made my life so invigorating and have helped to build up my sense of energy after my recent operation. The classes are totally absorbing and full of joy with the many different dances and inspiring ideas of movement”.
Amanda Watkinson, CEO of Move Momentum said: “We have been running our Gems dance project since July 2018 and have seen increased demand since the pandemic. We know dance changes people’s lives because we witness it first-hand and we believe that everyone should have access to a high-quality dance education enabling them to improve mental and physical well-being and enrich their quality of life.”
Despite the difficulties that the pandemic presented, Move Momentum were still able to deliver 219 classes and saw a whopping 25% increase in the number of regular beneficiaries. Find out more at www.movemomentum.co.uk
