EXERCISE, fun and a good old chin-wag are all on the menu at the Anchorage Centre in Tavistock?s Plymouth Road, thanks to a thriving brace of fitness classes offered by Tavistock Area Support Services (TASS). Two different sessions are offered by the centre ? a music and movement class two mornings a week and an afternoon line dancing session. Hayley Masters, who takes the classes, said the emphasis is on informality ? with everyone attempting as much or as little physical activity as they feel comfortable with. ?We have a big range of people coming to the classes ? but the thing is, they all feel young at heart,? said Hayley. ?Some people have had hip or knee replacements, some have had strokes, some are diabetic, some people need to sit down to do the exercises ? they do as much as they want to. ?I?ve got one lady who is nearly blind, but she does all my classes because she likes to get out and about.? Hayley?s music and movement class includes a warm up and gentle stretches, working through all the main muscle groups. The class uses weights, elastic bands and balls to help with the various exercises. ?The main thing is people are not sitting on their own at home with nowhere to go,? said Hayley. ?We?re a bit like a family, and this group is really game for a laugh. It?s very informal, there?s loads of chat and they meet new friends. ?The added benefit is we have all the services here, so if they need help around the house, or an odd job man, they are in the right place to ask.? The exercise session finishes with some guessing games, so that mind as well as body is kept active ? and the whole class enjoys a cup of tea and a biscuit afterwards. Hayley said the line dancing class is more active than the music and movement sessions ? it is more like a usual line dance session, though slightly adapted to suit the physical abilities of those attending. ?The big thing about both classes is that they are fun ? everyone is very young at heart, they?re certainly not old fuddy-duddies. They always say: ?I might be that age ? but I don?t feel like I am?,? said Hayley. The music and movement class at the Anchorage Centre is held on Mondays and Wednesdays between 11am and noon, the line dancing class is on Wednesday afternoons between 1.45pm and 2.45pm ? both cost £2.50, to include refreshments. Transport is also available on the TASS bus, which can pick up and return clients to their homes for £1. Anyone who would like to learn more about the classes should call Hayley Masters on 07966 665269.
