National Wellness Month
August 2025
In April we started the conversation around how exercise can contribute to improved mental health, and with August being National Wellbeing Month we thought we would pick up where we left off and delve deeper into the tennis sessions we host in partnership with Sport in Mind. As a reminder, Sport in Mind are the leading mental health and sports charity in England and Wales, and they share our mission of helping people be more physically and socially active, with a focus on the mental health benefits of doing so. In fact, Sport in Mind report that 91% of people report improved self-esteem after accessing sessions, and that’s something we’re proud to be involved with!
Coach Ash runs the Sport in Mind tennis sessions at our Bury Knowle hub in Headington, Oxford and he put it best, saying “It’s nice to know that we’re helping to facilitate something that’s more than just tennis, it’s a space where people can just enjoy themselves, when it comes down to it that’s what it’s about, the enjoyment of it, and it makes me feel good that we can help provide that”.
The sessions themselves run every Wednesday at 11am at Courtside at Bury Knowle and they are free to attend! We understand that when you’re struggling with your mental health seemingly easy everyday tasks suddenly feel colossal. Something as small as signing yourself up to a session can feel daunting, which is why the Sport in Mind sessions are not only free to attend, but also don’t require you to book. There’s a short readiness to exercise form mandated by Sport in Mind before you attend your first session, but after that you’re free to turn up and join!
We sat down with Hannah and Daniel who are both regulars in Ash’s Wednesday Sport in Mind sessions to learn more about the sessions themselves and the benefit they have found from attending. The hardest thing about starting something new is knowing it exists, so we asked Hannah and Daniel how they found out about the sessions and what inspired them to attend. Hannah noted that during her time as an inpatient in one of Oxford’s hospitals she was introduced to Sport in Mind sessions through Thai Chi, a Chinese martial art that involves slow, controlled flowing movement, and breath work, and went on to explore other sessions on offer, finding tennis in the process. Similarly, Daniel, who was one of our first session attendees back in summer of 2024 and has been a regular ever since, told us that he initially found the sessions online whilst looking for activities in the area, explaining that he was keen to get out and meet people and already enjoyed tennis so the Bury Knowle session was a great fit.
Having both played tennis at school and socially with friends, Hannah and Daniel expressed how much enjoyment they have found returning to the sport as adults and stated how satisfying it is to learn new tennis skills and improve their game each week. Mental health charity Change, report that skill development boosts our mental health in a number of ways, including reducing stress, increasing confidence, fostering social connections, increasing motivation, improving emotional regulation, and providing structure. Many of these benefits came up in our discussion, with Hannah explaining that this weekly session has helped her create some structure and routine in her week which she noted is particularly important to her whilst she is off work. Hannah then went on to explain that the group also meet up independently from the sessions either to spend more time on court together or to socialise over pizza on a Friday evening, with both Hannah and Daniel emphasising how much they value the social connections and improvement to their social life that has resulted from attending the group sessions.
In their 2024/2025 impact report, Sport in Mind revealed that 97% of session attendees reported a positive change in their mental wellbeing. In addition, the sessions also help to improve physical wellbeing as Hannah told us that she has noticed improvement in her fitness as well as her reaction times since joining the sessions. We want to help as many people as possible experience these positive changes, so we asked Hannah and Daniel what their advice would be for someone that may considering joining a session, here are their responses:
- “It’s really well organised and really welcoming. It feels really comfortable if you’re not very good at tennis. You don’t feel like you shouldn’t be here and it’s really nice to talk to new people, I like it when new people come every week” – Hannah
- “Just come along and have a good time. It’s not about being the best or the worst. It’s about feeling good, having a good time and just getting out there and playing tennis.” – Daniel
Ash also added that the group make a real effort to make newcomers feel welcome and comfortable, so if you’re on the fence about attending a Sport in Mind session, or any session with us, you will always find support on court.
We know that reaching out for support during tough times can be hard, but if you are struggling, you may find the below resources helpful:
Mind’s guide on how to cope if you’re in a crisis.
Free listening services
These services offer confidential support from trained volunteers. You can talk about anything that's troubling you, no matter how difficult:
- Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours
- Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Text Line, or text "YM" if you're under 19
If you're under 19, you can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline. The number will not appear on your phone bill.
These services will only share your information if they are very worried about you or think you are in immediate danger.
References
Sport in Mind – Strategy and Impact Sport in Mind (n.d.) Sport in Mind: Strategy and Impact. Available at: https://www.sportinmind.org/strategy-and-impact (Accessed: 22 July 2025).
Change Mental Health – Skills Development and Mental Health Change Mental Health (n.d.) Skills development and mental health. Available at: https://changemh.org/resources/skills-development-and-mental-health/ (Accessed: 22 July 2025).