Come on Board is a collaborative project with older people at its heart. The project was born from a coming together of nine Bristol-based organisations with the shared aim of making it easy for anyone over the age of 50 to get physically active.
Funded by Bristol Ageing Better and The Big Lottery Fund, Come on Board is made up of: Alive, All-Aboard Watersports, Avon Wildlife Trust, Bristol Community Transport, BS3 Community Development, Clifton Exercise Club, Gloucestershire Cricket Board, BS7 Gym and Lifecycle UK.
These organisations, under the banner of Come on Board, offer a huge variety of physical activities completely free of charge to get those over the age of 50 out and about into the brilliant City of Bristol. We firmly believe that the activities we offer not only improve health and wellbeing, lowering the risk of physical and mental illness and disease, but also directly tackle the deeper issues of social isolation and loneliness. Through the social coming together for activities, and through encouraging mobility and independence, we believe getting moving has the power to have a profound positive affect as we age.
Avon Wildlife Trust are a local charity working to secure a strong future for the natural environment and to inspire people to care for it. The Trust cares for over 30 nature reserves as well as running educational and community wellbeing programmes. They work on advising landowners on management and protection programmes, and campaign on the issues that continue to threaten our wildlife habitats.
All-Aboard Watersports exists to ‘break down barriers; making watersports accessible for all’. They are a fully inclusive charity, using watersports as a medium to improve life experience, health, physical and social opportunities for all in the beautiful and historic Bristol City Docks. They work to remove all barriers to participation from age to physical, emotional or cognitive disabilities or infirmities. From humble beginnings in the 1970s, the Centre has evolved and developed into a thriving charity offering a range of physical activities including sailing, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, stand up paddleboarding and powerboating, plus raft building and boat building. Our bespoke facilities and equipment allow us to enable anyone to access the water, something which can be particularly beneficial to older participants.
Alive is the UK’s leading charity aiming to enrich the lives of older people in care, and training their carers. Alive engage older people creatively through meaningful activity sessions, from music to dance, reminiscence to storytelling, poetry to yoga. They provide training and coaching to support carers in delivering outstanding care and meaningful engagement at every opportunity. Alive is passionate about connecting older people to their local communities and run a series of community engagement projects, linking care homes to the community through schools, museums, sports groups and organisations. Alive now works with over 350 care homes in 9 counties, and speaks up for the rights of older people in care to those with the power to improve their lives.
BS3 Community Development is a well-established community hub in South Bristol. Working to improve the wellbeing of older people, and to reduce social isolation and loneliness, BS3 Community Development reinvests into educational, arts, environmental and social projects. BS3 Community Development offer a vast range of activities for older people, including weekly Monday Club, a bi-weekly group for those living with Dementia and their carers, bi-weekly Sporting Memories Group as well as quarterly Tea Dances and monthly lunch clubs.
The Gloucestershire Cricket Board (GCB) is responsible for all recreational cricket across the county, creating links between schools, clubs and the community. Based at The Brightside Ground in Bristol, the GCB also oversees a wide range of other areas including county and district youth teams, coach education, umpiring and scoring, groundsmanship, community and disability cricket. The Board is led by chief executive Steve Silk and consists of 11 full-time members of staff, four part-time employees and an ever growing number of freelance coaches and volunteers. Affiliated to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) its goal is to develop a fun and enabling environment in which more people in Gloucestershire play and are involved in cricket.
Life Cycle UK is a Bristol-based charity that runs various community cycling projects – all of which are designed to help people feel healthier, happier and more connected to their local community. They work with everyone from older people, to disadvantaged youngsters, to people with poor mental health to help them unlock the benefits of cycling. They have been going since 1999 and helped over 4,000 people in 2017.
BS7 Gym provides a high quality exercise facility in Bristol for members of the community alongside Gloucestershire cricket professionals. Based at Gloucestershire Cricket we are set in a secure environment with plenty of free car parking available. The gym has recently been refurbished and is equipped with state of the art equipment. As well as training in the gym, members can also use the squash court, or take part in the variety of classes that are included in membership. All of our personal trainers are highly qualified to ensure you receive the best support and are able to make the most from your training.
The Exercise Club, Clifton pride themselves on being the friendliest gym in Bristol. Run as a not-for-profit company, they focus on meaningful exercise programmes for any ability and any age group. Centred around their friendly and caring atmosphere, The Exercise Club run a range of interesting and unique classes focused on needs such as pre-operative care, balancing and conditioning for older adults, weight loss, and posture. Each of these varied classes is programmed and organised by experienced personal trainers who have a particular interest in providing training for older adults.