BreathChamps on a mission to make Sale the first ‘breathing-friendly town’ in the UK
Local community group BreathChamps works to exchange ideas and knowledge about how we can all breathe better.
Why’s this important in Sale? Well, Heather Henry, an M33-based multi-award winning Queen's Nurse, is on a mission to make Sale the UK's first ‘breathing friendly town’. She offers local businesses and community groups educational sessions so people with breathing problems have the assurance that others are ‘asthma aware'.
We caught up with Heather to discuss what this all really means for Sale and its community.
“If somebody has asthma, others think it’s a mild and controllable condition – for many, it isn’t,” said Heather.
“It’s a hidden problem because people are extremely tolerant of a lot of symptoms before they will take action. With BreathChamps, we aim to use social events such as singing, dancing and getting into nature to share our knowledge about breathing conditions.”
Nurse Heather Henry wants to make Sale the first ‘breathing-friendly town’ in the UK
Heather also goes into schools to share this message, as children who have breathing conditions can often be the target of bullying and ridicule. BreathChamps’ work in schools aims to increase the awareness of pupils about conditions such as asthma and teach them about how they can help others in the future, such as the correct use of inhalers.
“When you go into schools to deliver this sort of interactive activity, the children just ‘get it’,” says Heather.
“We have a fun activity called the ‘18 things that make them sneeze in Sale’ and by the end of the session, there is always a real feeling that the class is all in it together. We allow students to handle dummy inhalers that work like the real thing and they respond really well to it.
“I’ve had three-year-olds correctly doing the technique of using and administering an inhaler – the sooner we can give them this sort of knowledge, the better. And it does stay with them afterwards.”
Breathing-friendly classes in Sale, M33
Nurse Heather runs a number of breathing-friendly classes in Sale at the moment, including:
Dance Easy
Led by a professional dance instructor, attendees can choose to stand or sit (or a bit of both) for this relaxed, easy dance class aimed at getting people moving more and breathing better.
Tuesdays, 2pm at Sale Leisure Centre, £3.50 per class.
Singing for lung health
A weekly singing class that is designed for people living with long-term lung conditions. These classes - which require no singing talent at all - will help you to learn to breathe more efficiently and gain confidence to be out and about.
Led by Asthma and Lung UK-approved singers.
Wednesdays, 2pm at Hiya in Market Walk, Sale Town Centre, £3.50 per class.
Japanese forest bathing therapy
These free one-hour guided activities are suitable for those with anxious feelings, breathing problems, high blood pressure and diabetes. Forest bathing will allow you to reconnect with nature, using all your senses.
Sessions are held regularly in Sale, Stratford and Partington. If you’d like to take part in a future session, contact Heather Henry on 07941 790 670.
Each of these activities is focused on showing those people with breathing problems that they can lead a full life.
“People need a life, not a service,” says Heather.
“They need to find ways to enjoy themselves; even if you have a breathing problem, you can still very much enjoy your life.”
If you, or someone you know, has breathing problems and could benefit from attending a BreathChamps event, please contact Heather Henry on 07941 790 670.
