M&S Derriford Hospital

We promote health and wellbeing in the community by providing physical activities and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices by working with individuals, groups and organisations. One of the directors is a certified fitness professional and multi sports coach and the other director is a Registered Dietitian who works in the community to help bring about healthier and active lifestyles. We are fully insured to deliver matial arts sessions and we are members of the UK Mauy Thai Federation. Our aim is to improve the health of St Budeaux and Barne Barton residents; the community where we live and work. We achieve this by inspiring people to make changes in their physical and mental wellbeing to live healthier and more active lives. We address the health inequalities experienced in the area by delivering a variety of fitness sessions and diet related advice, training and consultations. Our business stems from working in the community both professionally and personally and although we are not yet officially a CIC, we consider ourselves to be. We are a social enterprise and as such, our objectives are primarily to have a social benefit for the community as opposed to maximising profits for shareholders and plan to reinvest and/or retain the majority of surpluses further our organisation’s objectives. We currently offer activity sessions for children, young people and adults with a variety of fitness levels to improve their strength and ability. The programmes we have developed use the combat sport of Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), derived from the ancient martial art Muay Buran that originated in Thailand, as our platform to engage the children and young people. Although we not a martial arts or boxing club, our program allows us to teach children the sport, martial art techniques and the key elements of the Thai culture pertaining to the sport of Muay Thai. Our program is much more than just the physical and technical elements of the sport. We have developed a program for local children which is inclusive, accessible and fun way to get fit. They will develop their ABC’s (agility, balance and coordination) but we don’t only focus on the physical wellbeing of the children and young people. Every session allows for a 15 minute to 20 minute mat time session, usually after the session, when the children sit in a circle on the mat with the coach. We use this as a cool down and an opportunity to engage with children and and explore healthy eating using real food that they can try to expand their tastes and create healthy snacks.