STAFF at an Atherton care village have seen a boost in their mental and physical health thanks to a wellbeing scheme designed to support them through the pandemic.

Care workers at Belong care village, on Mealhouse Lane, were given personalised fitness and nutrition plans and tracked their goals weekly resulting in a host of positive outcomes.

The scheme has proved to be such a success for exercise instructor Chantelle Crawley with efforts resulting in greater energy levels and improved sleep, plus an increase in team morale.

Chantelle said: “Working in the care sector during coronavirus brings its own set of challenges and the village team has been really committed to taking ownership of their mental and physical health at this time.

“We’ve been delighted to see some incredible results over the past couple of months, ranging from weight loss to reports of enhanced mood.

“It’s safe to say that the initiative has definitely achieved its aim of helping people make healthier lifestyle choices, even if it's the simple things usually taken for granted, such as drinking more water or taking a break.”

During the scheme staff also took part in a step challenge and clocked up the miles in a bid to become more active in their everyday lives. The group plans on taking this one step further in October by hiking up Loughrigg Fell in the Lake District.

Rebecca Woodcock, general manager at Belong Atherton, said: “Lockdown has affected everyone in different ways and the wellbeing initiative has played a vital role in keeping us feeling positive and motivated during this challenging time.

Not only is it helping us live healthier lifestyles, but it's created a lot of laughter and brought us even closer together as a team. It’s definitely something we plan to keep up beyond coronavirus.”