Dan and Mia’s story: keeping fit together

Dan and Mia’s story: keeping fit together

Dan and Mia are devoted parents and care for their son, who lives with an autoimmune disease, as well as supporting their two other children. Alongside this, Mia provides additional care for her elderly parents, both of whom are frail, with her mother also living with a heart condition. Both Dan and Mia work full-time and balancing these multiple caring responsibilities alongside work and family life can be both demanding and exhausting.

Finding time for themselves as a couple has been particularly difficult, and the lack of shared time has placed strain on their relationship. When speaking with their local carers' centre, they shared that they rarely had the time or energy to plan a break or focus on their own wellbeing.

With support from the centre, a local leisure pass was arranged through the voucher scheme, removing the pressure of organising it themselves. This provided flexible opportunities for the whole family to take part in activities together, or for Dan and Mia to support one another in taking individual breaks when needed.

The leisure pass has enabled the family to enjoy swimming together, attend classes such as yoga and pilates, and make regular use of the gym - something Dan found particularly beneficial for his mental health.

“Having the leisure pass for all the family meant that we could share the load and have breaks as and when we were able. Like many people, we’ve been hit hard by rising costs, so this pass feels both like a luxury and something vital for us.”

Through this support, Dan and Mia have been able to prioritise their wellbeing alongside their caring responsibilities, strengthening both their relationship and their resilience as a family. Having accessible opportunities to physical activity has made a meaningful difference to their ability to cope, helping them face the challenges of caring with renewed energy and a stronger sense of togetherness.

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