VOICES OF HOPE’S ACTIVE BREATHING COURSE (ABC) LOOKS TO TACKLE THE IMPACT OF ONGOING RESPIRATORY DISEASE AND BOOST MENTAL WELL BEING.

Voices of Hope, the Kingston upon Thames based charity, today announced the launch of its informative Active Breathing Course (ABC) website.

The six-week online course, launched in 2021, is designed to help people recover from long-term respiratory conditions and manage their fatigue, stress and anxiety levels. It is NHS approved and is guided by specialist professional tutors.

Having run more than 60 courses, in the three years since its inception, ABC has 9 expert tutors and has impacted over 600 lives.

• 89% of participants found the course very helpful/helpful
• more than 60% said that they had seen a great or good improvement in their overall breathing capacity.

Whilst the course came about in response to the devastating symptoms of long-Covid, the courses now help people with a range of ongoing respiratory illnesses, as well as benefitting those struggling with anxiety disorders[i].

Voices of Hope CEO, Sarah Clay, BEM explains:

“Respiratory disease affects one in five people and is the third biggest cause of death in England. Not only does it have a distressing impact on the lives of the people involved, but it also puts a huge economic burden on the NHS, with the cost of asthma and COPD treatment alone standing at an estimated £4.9 billion annually.[ii]

Through our Active Breathing Course, we aim to help people manage their symptoms through a range of techniques, including the teaching of Diaphragmatic Breathing, controlled breathwork and singing exercises that help to strengthen intercostal muscle; all done in a creative, inspiring and empowering way.

The course has been shown to have a positive impact on our participants and we partner extensively with charities, healthcare providers (including hospitals, GPs and social prescribers) and businesses. As a charity we can offer individuals a cost-effective way of improving their breathing and quality of life.”

Sarah Clay continued:

“ABC can also offer great benefits for businesses. With bespoke courses available, we support businesses in improving staff well-being. Benefits can include higher energy and creativity levels; a reduction in stress and anxiety levels in the workplace; improved posture and the positive release of endorphins.”

For more information about the Active Breathing course visit our website www.voh.org.uk/abc

-ENDS-

Contacts:

Sarah Clay, CEO, Voices of Hope
sarah.clay@voh.org.uk
Charity No. 1187454

Notes to Editors:

About Voices of Hope
Voices of Hope is a locally founded charity in Kingston Upon Thames with a focused reach into SW London. We are dedicated to bringing hope to individuals and the wider community, improving physical and mental health through community-based projects.

Our mission is to restore people, give them hope to rebuild their lives, and to equip them both practically and emotionally. We aim to achieve this through creative and inspiring projects focused in the 3 areas of Creative Arts, Food, and Women’s projects.

We work with people struggling with complex physical and/or mental health issues, families experiencing food insecurity, women who have experienced abuse/domestic violence, and the elderly. We see those we reach as people who need support, encouragement and empowerment – not as problems which need solving.

Due to the impact of our work locally and our collaborative partnership approach, we are having a growing national reach through several of our projects.

www.voh.org.uk

About Active Breathing Course (ABC)
The Active Breathing Course is a six week, NHS approved, online and in-person course. Through controlled breath work and creative exercises, ABC is tailored to support recovery and long-term wellbeing with the help and guidance of our specialist tutors.

ABC is now accessible across the UK and is particularly, though not exclusively, focused on reaching those who are suffering from a long-term, ongoing respiratory condition, breathlessness, disordered breathing, anxiety or fatigue.

www.voh.org.uk/active-breathing-course/

[i] 8 million people are experiencing anxiety disorder at any one time in the UK according to Mental Health UK

[ii] NHS England statistics 2023