Movement Not Meds 4 ALL
Social Prescribing Programme For Adults With Learning Disabilities
- The BIG PICTURE ACROSS THE UK
Why This Matters
Adults living with learning disabilities are around
2x
more likely to experience obesity than adults without
Life expectancy of adults with disabilities is approx.
20
years lower compared to adults living without
Compared to 25.2% for adults without,
43.1%
of adults with learning disabilites are inactive
Barriers
Adults with disabilities in the UK face higher obesity rates and poorer health outcomes. Beyond access, many find traditional fitness spaces unwelcoming, leaving a gap for inclusive, supportive movement opportunities.
Partnerships
We created Movement Not Meds 4 ALL and linked with Link19 to offer adapted sessions in a safe, supportive environment, empowering adults with diverse needs through accessible 4All activities like Spin, HIIT, Dance and Garden & Nutrition.
Independence
The impact goes beyond fitness. Small milestones build real independence and confidence, with all participants reporting improved happiness. Regular movement is helping develop the resilience needed for adult life and employment.
- At A Glance
Programme Impacts
3
month pilot programme from January – April 2026
37
unique learners engaged during the pilot program
95%
reported improvements in their health
100%
reported an improvement in happiness
Watch The Video
Read The Story
Discover the full perspective on our Movement Not Meds 4 ALL pilot and how we are bridging the gap for inclusive fitness by creating a safe, respectful environment for everyone in the community.
Read The Story
Discover the full perspective on our Movement Not Meds 4 ALL pilot and how we are bridging the gap for inclusive fitness by creating a safe, respectful environment for everyone in the community.
Support Our Mission
The Movement Not Meds 4 ALL journey exists because we chose to invest in young adults others had written off, giving them the support and expertise they need to build independent, healthier futures.
With less than 10% of our funding coming from public sources, we rely on people who believe health and movement should be for everyone.
You can help by joining our Weekly Lottery for just £1 a week, with a chance to win up to £25,000 — while directly supporting our work, including our partnership with LINK19 College.
Movement Not Meds 4 ALL
Partnership With Link19
We deliver Movement Not Meds 4 All as a free, public social prescribing programme funded by Kent Public Health through a three‑month pilot. Our purpose across the pilot has been clear: remove barriers to physical activity for adults living with learning, physical, or mental health challenges, and create welcoming routes into regular movement, better wellbeing, and stronger community connection.
Adults with disabilities face significantly higher risk of obesity compared with adults without disabilities, with knock‑on effects for long‑term health and wellbeing. Within that context, structured, supported, enjoyable physical activity becomes more than a gym session; movement becomes a practical health intervention, a confidence builder, and a pathway towards independence.
How the partnership began
Our relationship with LINK19 College began through local word of mouth. Martin Francis, LINK19 College Lead, first heard about Movement Not Meds 4 All through a colleague connected to Ifield School.
Hearing about the programme through someone already working in specialist education made a real difference.The recommendation came from a place of shared understanding and trust, describing a programme that welcomed learners with additional needs in a way that felt supportive.
Following that introduction, LINK19 contacted our team to explore whether we could shape a strand of delivery designed around the learners, the college timetable, and the wider goal of preparing young adults for the realities of adult life and employment.
Why LINK19 needed this support
Right from the first conversations with Martin, the funding challenge facing this part of the education sector was evident. Provision for learners aged 18+ rarely stretches to specialist physical activity. Previous arrangements with local leisure providers had centred on space hire, with limited engagement and no instructional support unless further payment was made. For learners who need consistency, reassurance and meaningful relationships, that model does not meet their needs
During our time with LINK19, Martin shared the wider mission behind the college: building life skills for independence alongside employability. A tour of the facilities made that mission tangible; learners practise daily living skills through a bedroom and kitchen space where cooking, cleaning, bed‑making, and laundry become part of the learning programme.
That practical, independence‑focused model aligns strongly with our approach. Movement Not Meds 4 All does not sit apart from real life. Our sessions support routine, confidence, social interaction, self‑care, and positive decision‑making. Those outcomes reinforce the same independence skills LINK19 aims to develop.
Programme offering
We therefore took a partnership approach with LINK19, working closely with Martin and his colleagues to design a weekly programme shaped around learner needs, confidence levels and progression over time. Claire, our Head of Fitness, led on developing the programme, which included:
- Movement 4 All to introduce strength and mobility to the learners
- Spin 4 All in our dedicated Spin studio
- Dance 4 All to help learners express themselves through the music
- Gardening and Nutrition for All, supporting learners to grow fruit and vegetables alongside discussions about healthier choices
- Cyclo4All (adaptive cycling), with our team currently working with LINK19 to embed this in a way that works for the college group
Ahead of delivery, Claire met with learners to understand individual needs, anxieties and practical considerations. We then worked with the college to establish expectations and a supported arrival process. Learners were given membership cards and checked in at reception for each visit, reinforcing independence and normalising the experience of accessing a public leisure facility.
Approach to delivery
Across delivery, our instructors, including Claire, Agnes and Zoe, focused on two consistent principles. Sessions were inclusive and respectful, ensuring learners felt safe and understood, while still reflecting how classes run for the wider public. This balance matters, as it helps build confidence that transfers beyond Cyclopark.
We deliberately avoided reducing sessions to the point where they lost value. Instead, we adapted communication, pacing and support while maintaining genuine challenge and progression, ensuring learners experienced meaningful activity and a sense of achievement.
Martin described difficulties learners sometimes face in public spaces where patience from members of the public can run thin. Cyclopark felt different for learners because our team consistently created a respectful environment, with supportive instruction and no judgement.
Ultimately, our public, inclusive setting, experienced instructors, and commitment to respectful delivery enabled learners to experience physical activity in a way that felt both safe and genuinely representative of wider community life.
Progression and positive outcomes
Across the three‑month pilot, 37 different learners took part. Our staff got to know learners by first name, building familiarity and trust that learners rarely experience within public‑facing fitness settings.
We saw measurable physical outcomes. One learner lost 6 kg since the programme began, and others also experienced weight loss. Beyond weight, we observed improvements that matter equally for long‑term health; these were supported by Martin and his team and include:
- Growing confidence among learners who began with apprehension
- Increased willingness to try new sessions due to variety and peer encouragement
- Better endurance and strength over time, reflected in improved participation and reduced after‑effects
- Improved routine and regular movement, often representing the only structured exercise many learners completed each week
Martin stated that early on, full‑body HIIT sessions produced understandable muscle soreness for learners new to structured exercise. LINK19 noticed a short‑term dip in college attendance on Thursdays as bodies adjusted. Over time, that pattern faded, reflecting growing resilience, improved recovery, and gradual conditioning.
As the weeks went on, learners became more resilient and physically capable, which made attending and taking part feel increasingly manageable.
One of the most significant outcomes came from learners who initially sat back and watched.
Martin described learners who often struggle to engage in other activities, and we saw that dynamic first‑hand. Progress took time, patience, and consistency.
Our instructors modelled calm encouragement without pressure. Learners watched their peers enjoy sessions, heard conversations afterwards, positivity which gradually led to these individuals taking part. Over the pilot, participation widened until every learner in the group took part in some form, the college believes that this happened because the learners felt seen as people and were treated with respect, something that isn’t always the case with other providers or settings.
Wider impact
A key goal from the beginning involved building confidence that could transfer into everyday adult life. Learners gained confidence to enter spin, HIIT, or dance classes elsewhere because sessions felt “normal” in the best sense. The sessions are structured, welcoming, and aligned with what learners could expect in wider gym settings. The environment reduced fear of judgement and replaced that fear with a sense of belonging.
Martin described Cyclopark as an extension of the college: a safe, familiar setting where learners could practise adult independence in a real community venue. For many learners, these sessions represented the only weekly exercise opportunity. LINK19 staff members also joined sessions, gaining access to movement that busy education staff may otherwise struggle to prioritise.
Additionally, Martin has explained to us that there is a real buzz across LINK19 following the programme launch. Alongside physical benefits, the programme continues to help learners experience meaningful life outside home and college, supporting social integration and preparation for employment in the widest sense.
This means that outside of the practicalities of preparation for the real world, the learners have gained confidence, routine, self‑management, and willingness to engage with community spaces.
Cyclopark also supported LINK19 with a charity event that learners would not otherwise have been able to run. During a Fitness Fiesta hosted at the front of the college, Zoe and Claire led sessions while learners participated throughout the day, raising £260+. The event strengthened partnership working and gave learners an empowering experience of contributing to something bigger than a class timetable.
Gardening and Nutrition for All continues to complement fitness strand by linking movement with practical, everyday health behaviours. Learners engaged with growing fruit and vegetables, supporting fine motor skills and building ownership over food choices. LINK19 also noticed learners making small changes such as drinking more water because learners wanted to feel ready for sessions and recover well afterwards. For learners who often go home and stay indoors, these changes matter; healthier habits become connected to a positive identity rather than framed as a restriction.
Learner feedback
Learner feedback reinforced both the benefits and the challenges. Several learners spoke about feeling physically stronger through the HIIT sessions, while Alisha highlighted how dance had given her an activity she genuinely enjoyed.
She also identified independent travel as a barrier to continuing participation outside the college setting, underlining the importance of transport and access when considering long‑term engagement.
Martin has kindly shared some direct quotes from the students and leaders within LINK19:
“I used to ache a lot but now I am getting used to it! – Charley
“Love it!” – Alicia
“I like it, it was fun. The teacher was nice.” Naoise
“Fun but exhausting.” Kurtis
“Wow totally exhausting but feel the improvements in strength of muscles after a few weeks.” – Kelly
“Amazing instructor understood learners and motivated them through dance. Learners and staff thoroughly enjoyed.” Kelly (LINK19 Colleague)
“All learners that I have been luck enough to attend dance/spin classes with, have thoroughly enjoyed being active and exploring areas of movement and exercise that, often, have been new to them; allowing them to have an insight and introduction into new interests and ways in which to keep active. Learners have happily anticipated attending sessions at the Cyclopark and ask when they will next be able to take part. The session leaders have always been enthusiastic and positive, enabling the learners to promote the same attitudes in themselves.” – Nancy (LINK19 Colleague)
Outcomes at a glance
Some of the direct outcomes at a glance, have included:
- 37 learners engaged over three months
- 100% participation achieved over time, including learners initially disengaged
- Observable improvements in strength, endurance, and confidence
- Increased routine and regular movement for learners with no alternative exercise provision
Sustainability and future funding
Martin was clear throughout: LINK19 could not have accessed this programme without full funding. Even reduced memberships would not be feasible within existing college budgets. Martin also shared concern about the impact on learners if the programme ended. Given the role these sessions play as the primary weekly exercise opportunity for many learners, removal could reasonably lead to reduced activity, reduced confidence, and loss of a trusted community space.
Across three months, we have seen how an appropriately funded social prescribing programme can bridge a gap that specialist education settings cannot fill alone. The partnership with LINK19 shows what becomes possible when funding removes cost barriers and allows expert instructors to build consistent relationships with learners.
Sustained funding would allow us to:
- Maintain consistent weekly activity that supports health and wellbeing
- Continue building confidence that transfers into wider community settings
- Embed adaptive cycling access through Cyclo4All for LINK19 learners
- Strengthen healthy habit formation through gardening and nutrition learning
- Explore solutions to practical barriers such as travel independence, where learner ambition exists but access limits participation
We remain grateful for Kent Public Health funding that enabled this pilot. The outcomes, relationships, and momentum built with LINK19 demonstrate that Movement Not Meds 4 All can reach adults who rarely access mainstream fitness provision and can do so in a way that respects learners, strengthens independence, and supports long‑term wellbeing.