A GP practice is encouraging its most vulnerable patients to become more active by organising regular meet ups.

Unsworth Medical Centre, in Parr Lane, has been running an initiative to help older and more isolated patients, some of whom are living with dementia, to socialise through a range of activities.

It has come about in response to the growing number of patients at the practice who are either living on their own or did not get out much.

Patients are now taking part in a host of activities such as dancing and sewing, and will soon have the opportunity to take part in chair yoga classes too.

The practice says feedback has been 'overwhelmingly positive' and that they are are even arranging to meet up with each other outside of the group.

The medical centre has received support to promote these opportunities from Contact the Elderly – a national charity dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation among older people through face-to-face contact.

Bury Council’s Older People’s Staying Well team have also supported the project and hwas inspired to organise its own coffee morning inviting all Bury residents aged over 55 to talk about ways to improve care for all patients.

Dr Ben Shafar, GP at Unsworth Medical Centre, and practice manager Paula McCrossan joined patients at the event to discuss the positive impacts their meet ups have had on their own health and wellbeing.

Ms McCrossan said: “The feedback we are receiving from our patients is that they are enjoying meeting up not only because it encourages them to take part in more activities but also because the meet ups have given them the opportunity to get to know more people.

"Some of the members are now knocking on for each other and going for a coffee, which is really positive.

“Now that the idea has caught the attention of Bury Council’s staying well team and received support from the charity Contact the Elderly, we hope it will continue to keep growing so that all older or vulnerable people across Bury have assistance to get more active and meet more people.”