Free Gym, Mental Health, & Wellbeing Access in Lincolnshire

If you feel like you need to improve your physical or mental fitness, there are programmes and support services in place for residents of Lincolnshire, including students! Many of these programmes aren’t well known even to locals, so in this article, I will run through the programmes I know of and how you can access them.

One You Lincolnshire

One You Lincolnshire is funded by Lincolnshire City Council and allows residents access to several physical health support services across the county. This can even include a free 12-week gym membership if you meet the criteria! I’ll run through the three most applicable to university students which are Move More, Be Smoke Free, and Drink Less, however, there are a few more pathways that might be worth checking out! You can find out what else they offer by looking at their website.

Move More

The Move More pathway provides you with access to a local gym for 12 weeks through exercise on prescription, 1-to-1 physical activity sessions, group physical activity sessions, an online gym membership, and free exercise/workout plans! To be eligible you must:

• Be a resident of Lincolnshire or registered with a Lincolnshire GP
• Be over the age of 18
• Doing less than 150 minutes of physical activity per week

Be Smoke Free

The Smoke Free pathway is a scheme to help you stop smoking tobacco through weekly 1-to-1 or group sessions, nicotine replacement therapy, and tailored support. To be eligible you must:

• Be over the age of 12
• Be living, working, or registered with a GP in Lincolnshire
• Have smoked tobacco in the last 48 hours, this does not include vaping or e-cigarettes.

Drink Less

The Drink Less pathway is designed to help you cut down on drinking and maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol. They can also help you quit drinking alcohol completely if you prefer! They offer help such as 1-to-1 and group sessions, access to blogs and articles that you may find helpful, and digital/remote support. To be eligible you must:

• Be living in Lincolnshire or registered with a GP in Lincolnshire,
• Be over the age of 18,
• Be drinking 14+ units of alcohol per week (equivalent to 6 pints of beer, or 10 small glasses of low-strength wine)

Signing up

You can sign up for any of the pathways they offer online by filling out this form, or you can call them on 01522 705162.

HAY Lincolnshire (How Are You Lincolnshire)

HAY Lincolnshire is a one-stop hub for all well-being activities and support in Lincolnshire! You can choose which district to search for support in (for example, Lincoln, North Kesteven, Boston, etc), and you’re then presented with a map so you can find services that you can access. A lot of the services are free of charge but some of them are paid, however, the charge is usually small (such as £5) towards running costs. You can look at the services available here.

Support:

• Women’s services/well-being support,
• Men’s well-being support,
• Online mental health support,
• Night Light Cafes,
• Disability services,
• Physical health support,
• Bereavement services,
• Domestic & sexual abuse support,
• Drug & Alcohol services,
• Foodbanks

Activities:

• Yoga, pilates & mindfulness,
• Fitness, gyms & swimming,
• Sports,
• Music,
• Arts & creative activities,
• Community Cafes,
• Outdoor spaces,
• Volunteering opportunities

These lists are non-exhaustive, so I’d recommend checking out the website for yourself and having a look around!

Mental Health Support Services

Lincolnshire’s NHS-run mental health support service is called Steps2Change. This service usually deals with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, however, they can signpost you to other services if they feel you’re not suited for the kind of support Steps2Change can offer.

You can make a self-referral online here.

Sometimes you may not know what help you need, so there is a dedicated mental health helpline in Lincolnshire which you can call on 0800 001 4331. This helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.