Our newest service, Solihull Lighten Up, has now been running for six months and we’re very pleased to report some early successes!
- In the last six months, 98 clients have lost a total of 610.9kg, or 96st 9lbs
- A total of 77 people have been to Slimming World thanks to Solihull Lighten Up, and 70 to Weight Watchers
- 21 people have been referred to our Dietitian Lorrain, and 28 to our Behaviour Change Advisor, Vicki
How does it work?
Vicki and Lorrain (on the left) at an event at Hobs Moat
Solihull Lighten Up builds on our experience with the Lighten Up service (which closed earlier this year), by offering people across Solihull a wide range of support with weight management.
When someone is initially referred to the service, we find out as much as possible about their lifestyle and what they are hoping to achieve. We provide each person with a tailored plan so that they have the best chance of achieving their goals. Our call centre staff all have behaviour change training, and offer regular phone support to everyone who comes through the service.
As well as offering free access to weight loss groups, the service offers people with slightly more complex needs up to 12 months of one-to-one support. This might include people with learning disabilities, disabled people and their carers, people with mental health issues, people over 40 and recent ex-smokers. Lorrain, our Dietitian and Vicki, our Behaviour Change Advisor, are based at the YouPlus shop in Chelmsley Wood – although they can meet with clients at a range of venues across Solihull, including GP practices and clients’ homes – and work one to one with people to come up with the best plan for them.
Working in partnership with established organisations in the Solihull area, Solihull Lighten Up also refers people on to a range of other services. These include physical activity groups like Reza Dance, Tai Chi, EXTEND and walking groups, but also other health-related activities such as the Cook4Life cookery course.
What our clients say
The best thing about running a service like Solihull Lighten Up is when we hear from people who have benefited from the service. And in the last few months we have already had loads of great feedback from clients. Our Impact Assessment App is full of positive comments about the service, such as:
“Nice to know someone’s looking after your welfare. It makes you proud especially when you have had a good weight loss.”
“It’s made me feel happy and good. It’s nice someone asking me about my weight it gives me that push to help.”
And just this week, Vicki received the following text message:
“Hello Vicki, I have now finished my 12 week programme at WW and have lost a total of 9lbs. So I am very pleased with that. I have sent a letter to Gateway services to say thank you for offering me the weight watchers sessions. Thank you for your help and advice and for the referrals, it has made a big difference to me.”
If you think you might benefit from the Solihull Lighten Up service, give us a call on 0800 599 9880. (You must be over 16 and have a Solihull postcode.)
It’s amazing to see that Lighten Up lives on! I’m proud of the team, glad to see the good work still carries on and here’s hoping Birmingham see the results and realize what they’re missing.