CHAPS




About the CHAPS Project
CHAPS (Community Health Activity Project) provided free activities, support and opportunities for local men over 50 to meet new people. Through the programme, the Magna Vitae Community team aimed to provide support and guidance; connect and empower individuals and ultimately reduce loneliness and isolation in Mablethorpe and Skegness.
Some of the CHAPS sessions have included cooking workshops, wellbeing sessions, badminton, indoor bowls, walking football, CHAPS Breakfast Club and the Platform 50 Men’s Gym Takeover. Sport is a great conversation starter and whereas men may be put off by some community activities, if someone has an interest in either current sporting news or something from years ago, the common interest may be enough to encourage them to engage in activities.
If sports were more your thing, CHAPS has delivered Sporting Memories sessions. with support from The Sporting Memories Foundation. These sessions were a perfect place to meet fellow sports fans, reminisce about sports old and new and enjoy a free bite to eat.
As this project was being delivered during the Covid-19 Pandemic, activities and sessions had to be adapted to suite the needs of the participants while still adhering to the lockdown rules.
“We have worked with partners to help develop a different ‘virtual’ offer which so far has included an online quiz, access to the Sporting Memories ‘Sporting Pink’ (newsletter) and online sporting memories video clips. Initially the target beneficiaries were men already attending CHAPS sessions in Mablethorpe and Skegness. We are now aiming to engage with a wider audience and have already been able to engage with the husbands of the (Magna Vitae) Fitness Food and Friends participants as well as wider work through social media engagement and participants of the ‘Men Do’ project (ran by Carers First another programme delivery project).” – CHAPS Delivery Officer
The CHAPS team have worked closely with TED to create a Toolkit that gives an insight into creating, maintaining and evaluating a project such as this.



