Belgravia Foundation was pleased to hear about the positive impact of its Take Charge program at Loftus Recreation Centre. The centre is in Leederville, an inner-city suburb of Perth.

Take Charge aims to create social connections for people with mental illness. It enables them to engage in exercise at a Belgravia Leisure venue, while building a connection with staff. Participants are referred to the program by medical and allied health professionals.

The Loftus team has received glowing praise from one participant, who said Health Club Coordinator Zac ‘was so understanding and supportive’. They said they felt ‘welcomed and included’ and ‘really grateful and happy of knowing there’s such a good program and someone so supportive like Zac is in our community’.

Venue Manager Andrew Ng says ‘this is the kind of feedback that fuels our fire’. He is proud of his venue’s involvement in the program, which has included the roll-out of staff training and program resources. Andrew is passionate about inclusion, and he encourages other venues to look for opportunities to provide new recreation and social connections to people experiencing poor mental health.

For more information about Belgravia Foundation’s Take Charge program click here.