Addiction recovery service, ARC Fitness, welcomes the public to the ‘Empower Health Fair’ on April 6 at the Millennium Forum in Derry as they seek to provide attendees with access to information and resources to help manage and improve their physical and mental health.
The free of charge event that is taking place from 10am-2pm will have 26 stalls present from a variety of different health related community groups and will also be the biggest collaboration of its kind in the city to date.
Fair attendees will be able to avail of free health checks including blood pressure and cholesterol, mindfulness and fitness demonstrations and receive information on available mental health services, physical health and food nutrition, and more.
The fair is part of the organisation’s new ‘Motion Changes Emotion’ campaign through which ARC is aiming to highlight the positive impact physical activity, aka ‘motion’, can have on your day-to-day life, both physically and mentally.
Gary Rutherford, Founder and Programme Director of ARC Fitness said: “We’re really excited to be launching our newest campaign ‘Motion Changes Emotion’ and look forward to potentially sharing some breakthrough information and resources with anyone who is either struggling themselves or knows someone who is struggling with substance misuse.
“The purpose of the campaign is to highlight the importance of motion, the impact that it can have on us and show that by adjusting our level of motion, we can actually change the trajectory of our life.
“So, whether you are someone who is in recovery from substance misuse, looking to improve your mental or physical wellbeing, or even just someone who is looking to implement some change into your life, we want you to know about the power of physical activity and the many benefits it can have on your life.
“Our Empower Health Fair is taking place on the 6th April and is designed to offer people the help and resources to take those vital steps towards change.
“So if you think that is something you might be able to benefit from, please come along. We really look forward to welcoming you there and helping you on your journey.”
The year-long campaign will focus on three main strands: Empower, Thrive and Succeed.
Empower is about providing access to information, education and services that will allow someone suffering from addiction to begin their journey of recovery, learn about resilience and how to move on from setbacks or relapse. The Empower Health Fair is a component of this strand.
Thrive is about highlighting the important role that exercise and physical activity can play on one’s journey of recovery and positive mental health. As part of this strand, ARC is inviting the public to join them in raising awareness by either running or walking 5k a day and sharing their journey on social media.
Succeed is the final strand of the campaign and it will highlight that hope and change are both possible and ARC wants to remind everyone that recovery is and should always be a celebration. This strand will culminate with a one day “Succeed Conference” in September 2022 and with ARC’s annual ‘Recovery Walk’ that seeks to highlight the power and possibility of recovery within our community.
ARC Fitness is a non-profit organisation that was first launched in 2019 by Gary, a registered mental health nurse and a qualified personal trainer.
It seeks to give individuals, who are recovering from addiction and substance mis-use, the opportunity to focus on improving their mental and physical wellbeing through physical activity, professional support, and re-connection with community.
If you’re interested in learning more about ARC, the ‘Motion Changes Emotion’ campaign or would like to partner with ARC in any way, please visit: https://arcfitness.co.uk/.
