Our online activity groups are perfect for people who enjoy gentle exercise from the comfort of their own homes. Hear from Audrey as she explains more:

Audrey spent her working life in education and during time with Voluntary Services Overseas, she was based in Malawi, focusing on the climate, sustainability and helping people living in poverty. She has two sons and three grandchildren, and lives near York.

The 82-year-old has been taking part in Re-engage online activity groups for a couple of years, which fit in perfectly with her life and offer gentle exercise and a chance to socialise from the comfort of her own home.

Audrey explained: “I’ve done yoga for years and pilates too, but I was unable to find a class when we moved to York 10 years ago. So I went online and found out that Re-engage ran some online classes and I’ve never looked back.

“I have osteoporosis so it’s very important to me to keep active but not everyone wants to go out and about to exercise classes. Travelling can be daunting for older people – one of my online classmates said many older people want to get exercise in the safe environment of their home as some aren't comfortable in a room full of people.”

Another of Audrey’s online activity group friends explained that after living alone for so many years, she feels she lacks self motivation and needs someone to chivvy her along. She said: “Re-engage, twice weekly, so uplifts me. Not solely for the excellent hour-long exercise tuition, but for meeting online friends to connect with and chat. It’s good physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Audrey continued: “It’s gone beyond just the class now, and some of the group members have exchanged email addresses and we share tips on relaxation and medidation or other information from NHS sites, for example. Some of the group are Facebook friends too.

“We talk about our hobbies with one another and there’s a real depth to our relationships because we’ve been building them for two years. I can tell you that the rest of the class members want the sessions to continue as they’re very important to them.”