Move into Wellbeing Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
The charity's founder Donna Schoenherr looks back on its first ten years
August 2024 - Rehearsal for performance at Chiswick Town Hall with Hounslow Seniors Trust
April 13, 2025
A Chiswick-based charity which delivers dance and movement classes with specially trained instructors, designed for people living with mobility problems is celebrating its tenth anniversary.
Move into Wellbeing (MiW) is an award winning organisation whose sessions, which are part-seated, can also benefit those with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions. It is being featured in a new publication by Kogan Page books “The Silent Rebellion- Becoming a Modern Leader” by Chris Lewis and Inez Robinson- Odom. Now celebrating their tenth anniversary, they are reflecting upon their growth and experiences of the last decade.
Their first class was given in January 2015 at Arts Educational School on Bath Road, after one and a half years of research, preparation, and planning. Founder & Director, Chiswick resident of twenty-nine years Donna Schoenherr says, “This marker is a huge accomplishment and with it comes a great responsibility to the community that we have built. We started off very humbly and with great hope in January 2015, with our very first class at the Arts Educational Schools London. It was a challenging time and there was no certainty we would succeed. After our launch in 2015 we continued to keep progressing with our applications to attain charity status. Thankfully, that was achieved in April 2017!
“From the first class, many partnerships, friendships, and regular visitors developed and occurred and we now have over seven weekly classes, a live-streamed class, an online class, plus a 24/7 accessible library of exercises to work with at one’s convenience. We continue to work quite hard and with great passion and dedication, to meet the growing demands of the public, and we certainly wouldn’t be at this point without countless hours donated by former committee members, trustees, volunteers, and the brilliant team of teachers!”
MiW works closely with other charities and organisations that deliver services and opportunities to the community. These include Integrated Neurological Services in Twickenham, Hounslow Seniors Trust, Stay Steady & Active Campaign of Hounslow, Falls Prevention and Bone Health of Hounslow.
Its programme information is also listed on Parkinson’s UK, Dance for PD®, People Dancing websites, and on some Age UK and Age Concern websites.
MiW was recently awarded another National Lottery Community Fund for two years of hosting its Monthly Tea & Coffee Social Hours which are held termly after the Saturday afternoon class.
Visitor Rosi Prescott, DL FRSA at the MiW class at the Chiswick Catholic Centre
Their most recent partnership development is with Care Agency Home Instead Hammersmith & Chiswick. A new free MiW class series is set to launch in Fulham on Monday 12 May and if anyone wishes to register for this, they just need to contact Kris Dulnik of Home Instead mentioning this class, on 0208 746 1213 or by e-mail kris@hc.homeinstead.co.uk.
Upcoming MiW events include a free class at Questors Theatre Community Festival on Saturday 31 May at 2.30pm, a stall at Green Days at the Bedford Park Festival on Sunday 8 June, and a charity fundraising classical music concert on Thursday 10 July at 7.30pm at St Michael and All Angels Church (all related details coming out soon).
Science has supported the fact that dance is brilliant and effective for health and wellbeing and dance has been in the national spotlight of late with Angela Rippon’s Let’s Dance Scheme. MiW says it is thrilled to continue delivering dance to the community and they look forward to many more years of doing so.
For any further information about MiW visit www.moveintowellbeing.org.uk or make contact by email on info@moveintowellbeing.org.uk.
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