Fighting spirit at local care home

Manor House Care Home in Oxford has been rolling out boxing classes to residents, shaking up the regular exercise programme in a bid to encourage residents to get fit and active in a fun and empowering environment.

The classes, which are offered to all residents, are led by one of Manor House’s Carers, Tim Northcott. Tim, who has been an avid boxer for many years, brought his love of the sport to Manor House to help encourage residents to keep active.

The classes are usually held on a one-to-one basis and involve light pad-work, which is adapted to suit the particular needs of each individual. Residents can improve their mobility, health and wellbeing through gentle exercise in a fun – and slightly competitive – environment, by taking on Tim in the metaphorical ring.

One particularly enthusiastic resident, Margaret Jefferies, enjoys regular sessions with Tim, which he tailors to improve her mobility. Boxing is proven to be a highly beneficial exercise, which can help to build muscle and improve cardiovascular fitness.

Tim Northcott, Carer at Manor House, commented:

“I have really enjoy sharing my love of boxing with residents at Manor House, and we have a lot of fun doing pad-work exercises. The resident’s absolutely love it, and the classes are very easily adapted depending on each individual’s ability. I will be looking to run more classes in the future.”

Manor House is part of the Embrace Group and is located in Merton. The care home provides personalised nursing, residential and dementia care for older people.