Here at the Blair Academy our mission is to boost people’s health and happiness through hip hop dance, and this has been our mission since we launched in 2018. The Blair Academy started when the CEO, Charlie, trailed and tested her ideas on her Nanna. After receiving a great response, Charlie decided to put into fruition her ideas and start The Blair Academy. We are passionate and devoted to combating loneliness, bridging the social and generational gap and increasing physical activity in older adults. So far, we’ve helped over 5000 people and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon! New year, but we will always have the same mission, to combat loneliness through the art of dance.
Unfortunately, it is evident that three years since launching, people are still affected by loneliness. It has been documented that “1.4 million older people in the UK are often lonely” (AGE UK, 2021) and our aim is to keep combating loneliness through the work that we do and to keep our principles of peace, love, unity and having fun.
How do we help to combat loneliness you may ask?
You’ll find us in various settings such as care homes, day-care centres, hostels, and schools where through hip hop dance, we boost health and happiness and develop relationships with everyone who we interact with. “It was such a good session this morning. Fun and friendly! I knew nothing about hip hop but I shall look into it now” Martine (mature mover).
How can I help combat loneliness?
You may have someone in your family/friendship circle who is an older adult (or be an older adult yourself) and are feeling lonely. We are here to help!
Join a club/social activity: It is important to keep moving and stay social. We have an online seated dance class every Tuesday on ZOOM, please contact us for more details if you’d like to give it a go. You can also head over to AGE UK to find more support near you.
Day care centres: Joining a day care centre is great because it can help improve your quality of life, aid independence AND make friends!
Peer/professional support: Speaking about how you are feeling is important. If you would like some support, you can visit the NHS website and Mind’s services. You can have access to support groups and guides.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading our blog. Have a fantastic new year and let’s continue to combat loneliness!
Written by Sophie from The Blair Academy.
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