Trampoline exercise helps relieve client stress and anxiety

Thanks to a generous donation from Betchworth United Charities (BUC), clients living Hollyhocks, one of our supported living projects in Surrey, will soon have a trampoline in their garden.

Clients at this project have both a learning disability and autism. These conditions can bring complications to how they view life and make navigating the world around them very difficult.

They can have difficulty managing their feelings and behaviour; often becoming distressed and agitated.

Using a trampoline can be very beneficial in providing a physical but safe outlet. It helps our clients to remain calm and provides a diversion when they feel anxious or stressed.

As well as a sensory benefit, the trampoline provides exercise that our clients can do independently, especially important during lockdown.

Canon David Eaton, chair of BUC, said: “ We were pleased to be able to provide a trampoline for the use of residents at Hollyhocks, which falls within our catchment area. With another trustee I visited and met with residents and we were impressed with how well run and maintained the home is.

“Although a trampoline may seem like just a fun item we saw how it can provide good exercise for residents, which otherwise might be difficult to achieve. It will also have a therapeutic value enabling stress to be dispersed, all under supervision when necessary.

“BUC seeks to help local people who are suffering hardship or distress. We don’t do this to create dependency or from a paternalistic point of view but to work with those who are seeking to maintain their own lives and live to their full potential. We judged the residents at Hollyhocks to be doing both these things with Field Lane’s support and were happy to do what we could to help.”