With the cost of living continuing to increase, residents are being encouraged not to sacrifice their health as a result.

As purse strings tighten, often things like gym memberships are the first thing to be sacrificed, so by the council’s Sports Development Team are offering residents free or low-cost options for keeping healthy instead.

To help give residents the kick start they need to prioritise their health for less, the team are offering the majority of their community exercise sessions for free for the first two weeks in September.

In a bid to inspire residents to try being more active, the Sports Development Team are offering free access to their community exercise classes from 1st to 16th September.

The free classes will include: seated exercise sessions, active seniors, Joint Effort, Zumba and more. For two weeks these classes will be free alongside other sessions which are already free such as Worcestershire Walks for Health, Walking Football inc. women’s only and Active Families.

The Council’s community exercise classes are designed to be accessible to residents who might be uncomfortable with or unable to access privately run exercise sessions in the usual way. Predominantly during the day, the sessions are located in the community so that residents can access a class close to them and offer a range of different types of exercise to suit most people’s needs. The classes are pay as you go and most charge around £4 per person per session which for many people makes them more accessible than needing a membership to take part but still provides an opportunity to get fit and have fun.

Hayley Gwilliam, Physical Activity Development Officer, said: “We want our residents to know that there is always an option when it comes to their health and getting more active. By offering two weeks for free, we hope that lots of people will take the opportunity to have a go at something they might not have tried before. We hope residents will continue attending the classes because they are so affordable, even in these hard times. If you’re interested but want to know more, please get in touch and we can advise you on what is best to meet your needs.”

For details of which classes are running on which days, go to www.redditchbc.gov.uk/communityclasses/ or keep an eye on the council’s social media channels.

For more information or to discuss which class is most suited to your needs, contact Sports Development.