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Oomph! Wellness finding bold innovative solutions for an ageing society
Oomph! Wellness finding bold innovative solutions for an ageing society
Written by
Christie Surridge
Events Manager
Oomph! Wellness finding bold innovative solutions for an ageing society
Guy Rigby and David Murray are currently on board The Entrepreneur Ship, taking on The Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge to raise money for UnLtd. Rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, David and Guy will cross nine lines of longitude during their journey.
At each crossing we will be spotlighting social entrepreneurs UnLtd has supported, recognising the kind of social impact that will be made possible by funds raised from this epic journey. As they cross the sixth line of longitude, we will be spotlighting Oomph! Wellness. Read their story from the last two years below.
""Every older person deserves to enjoy a full life for life."" Founder of Oomph! Wellness, Ben Allen and his team wholeheartedly believe in this motto and drive to positively change the impact of ageing.
Oomph! is now the UK's leading wellbeing business for older adults enhancing mental, physical and emotional wellbeing in care homes and communities across the UK. They offer innovative exercise and activity training, engaging trips out and new in late 2020, dynamic online resources through 'Oomph! On Demand.'
Yet even established social ventures like Oomph! need help to get started. Founded in 2011, it has always been Oomph's mission to ensure older people remain mentally, physically and emotionally active. They did so with the help from UnLtd, including taking part in accelerator The Big Venture Challenge in 2016, helping them to scale and raise investment.
Their mission is more vital now, due to the pandemic, and the isolation faced by many older people grappling with restrictions on their lives.
The pandemic saw Oomph! having to creatively explore new ways to reach out to older adults, particularly those in care homes. They remodelled the training courses so that exercise and activity could be delivered virtually but in October 2020, launched Oomph! On Demand, to offer care providers a flexible digital resource of activity, exercise and TV content in one place, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
It is evident that Oomph! is providing an all-important need for older people across the UK:
- 54,000 exercise sessions were delivered by Oomph! trainees in 2021, with over 237,000 unique residents taking part
- Over the last 12 months, there have been 140,000 unique engagements by Oomph! On Demand users.
""Oomph! Mindfulness has been used with one particular resident, whose family shared how much she benefitted from guided mindfulness, with sessions about the beach a particular favourite.""
Oomph! On Demand User
""Oomph! Wellness has been an invaluable service to us before and particularly throughout the pandemic. Their engagement with our teams and residents has assisted us in enhancing the lives of people living through the time of separation from their loved ones. Their activities span mind, body and soul meaning. There's something for everyone.""
CEO of Care Home
Over the last seven years UnLtd has provided financial and non-financial support to over 200 social entrepreneurs like Ben, dedicated to creating bold solutions for an ageing society led by the needs of older people. We could not do this without the help of partners and major donors.
One of our major donors - The Entrepreneur Ship, made up of two-man team Guy Rigby & David Murray, are fundraising for UnLtd as they take on The Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic.
They are already well over halfway and when they reach Antigua in early February, after two months of rowing, they will become the oldest pair to ever row any ocean.
Fundraising for UnLtd, the foundation for social entrepreneurs, they have already raised over £530,000. The proceeds raised will go towards helping social entrepreneurs from minority backgrounds, who have historically been locked out of funding to scale their ventures, with support to grow and raise investment.
You can support them by visiting The Entrepreneur Ship Crowdfunder.