New Year, New You – Healthy Living Centre Dartford

by | Jan 8, 2023 | Healthy Living Centre, Dartford

Are you setting a New Year’s Resolution for 2023? Healthy Living Centre Dartford is here to help you stick with it. Whether you are setting a goal to support your physical, social, or emotional wellbeing, we have something for everyone. Take your pick from our exercise sessions, community social events and lunches, gardening and cooking clubs, arts and crafts, repair café, vocational courses, and IT lessons as well as a variety of volunteer opportunities – we are certain that Healthy Living Centre Dartford is the place for you in 2023!

All our physical exercise activities are open to everyone and cater for all abilities. Delivered by qualified tutors, they each cost just £2.50 per class and take place at either Tree or Temple Hill Community Centres:

• Zumba Gold at Temple Hill on Mondays 7pm-
8pm
• Yoga with Hazel at Tree on Tuesdays 7pm-
8pm and Thursdays 7:30pm-8:30pm
• Tai Chi at Tree on Thursdays 10:00am-11:00am
followed by tea and biscuits
• Seated Yoga at Tree on Thursdays 1:30pm-
2:30pm followed by a cuppa
• Circ-Hiits at Tree on Thursdays 6:30pm-
7:30pm

The benefits of exercise go well beyond weight loss and muscle toning – exercise can support your physical and wellbeing in so many ways, including improving your sleep. It can help your joints become more flexible, increased blood circulation refreshes cells throughout your body, including your brain; it helps your digestive system work more efficiently, your lymphatics can do their job more efficiently and you will feel brighter as your liver and kidneys are activated. The best bit: the endorphins (chemicals) that your body produces when you exercise (dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin) affect your brain and will dramatically improve your overall mood.

The conclusion? Regular exercise really does make you happier!

In 2023, we also plan to offer additional physical activities including group cycling and walking events – to stay up to date with all our current and new activities please email info@hlcdartford.org.uk to be added to our mailing list.

If your plan for the new year is to get out and about, enjoy more social activities and meet new people, we have plenty of opportunities to do just that. At Temple Hill Community Centre our doors are open to all for our Hygge* on the Hill on Wednesday mornings 10:00-12:00.

*The Danish concept of “hygge” refers to finding comfort, pleasure, and warmth in simple, soothing things such as a cosy atmosphere or the feeling of friendship.

For a sociable, delicious, and affordable home cooked meal (without the washing up!), join us on the 3rd Friday of every month for our Tree Community Lunch, open to all. On the 1st Friday of every month, the WI Seniors Lunch Club meets at Temple Hill. Booking is essential for both lunches.

If you prefer to grow your own food, why not get involved in our Growing Community Food Network, an exciting Borough-wide project? Or if cooking is your thing, why not join our weekly cookery club? = For more information on our food projects email info@hlcdartford.org.uk. Whether you are keen to learn something new or have skills to share, we would love to hear from you!

Parents, carers, and their pre-school children are invited along to our friendly Tea, Toast and Talking supportive social mornings in collaboration with Mummy’s Link Up and HomeStart Northwest Kent. Come along to Tree Community Centre on the 2nd Friday of each month 10:00-12:00 and Temple Hill Community Centre on the 4th Friday of each month 10:00-14:00. You can also bring and swap, or shop-for-free, good-quality new and pre-loved items needed when raising a family. For more information contact: mummyslinkup@gmail.com or HomeStart on 01322 225100.

We offer a relaxed and informal meeting place at our Community Hub and Repair Café, where you can grab a free cuppa, an affordable bite to eat and an opportunity to meet and chat with other local people. The repair team can turn their hands to most items that can be repaired, from small electricals to bicycles to sewing and clothes repair. With the mantra “don’t throw it, repair it”, the team do their best to mend anything that comes their way. At our Hub events, we often have advice specialists available to help, including “One You” Lifestyle Advisors, welfare, debt and benefit advisors, legal and financial services and adult education providers. For the fun element we have games, puzzles and arts and crafts for anyone who wants to have a go. Our Community Hub events take place on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at Tree Community Centre, and on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Temple Hill Community Centre.

Did you hear about the concept to buy “Nothing New in ‘22”? We at Healthy Living Centre Dartford are joining in the movement to challenge consumerism and reduce waste. With the support of our incredibly talented Repair Café, the staff team are aiming for “Waste Free in ‘23”

To find out more or to book any of these activities you can contact us on 01322 311265 / info@hlcdartford.org.uk or follow us on Facebook @healthylivingcentredartford or Instagram @hlcdartford.

We can’t wait to meet you!

healthy living dartford

Dartford’s Night Food Market returns with a World Cup twist

Dartford will once again host its popular Night Food Market on Friday 12 th  June, transforming the town centre into a vibrant celebration of flavour, live entertainment, and community spirit.  Visitors will be able to taste their way around the...

The Kindness of Strangers: A Reminder of What Unites Us

We never truly know how a day is going to unfold. One moment you are enjoying a sunny  Sunday afternoon listening to the Bandstand Concert in Dartford’s Central Park. The next you  are waking up from a sudden blackout, surrounded by confusion and panic....

Dartford Juniors lift the inaugural Kent County Chess Association Foundation Cup

Dartford Juniors are the 2026 KCCA Foundation Cup champions — and the first team ever to lift the trophy. On Saturday 30th May, our squad beat Petts Wood & Orpington 2½–1½ in a tense final to write their names into Kent chess history. The Foundation Cup is a...

“FAMILIES CALL US THE COMFORT BLANKET”

“When you spend time with Tina, you quickly understand why families remember her. She puts people at ease immediately and makes families feel like they’re not going through difficult moments on their own. Tina brings warmth and reassurance into people’s homes every...

Paralympian JohnBoy Smith to Scale the O2 in Wheelchair for We Are Beams

Commonwealth Games Medallist, Team GB Paralympian and Patron of We Are Beams JohnBoy Smith is taking his support to new heights by undertaking a breath taking wheelchair climb over the iconic O2 Arena in London. This special fundraising event, which will take...

Pop Icon Sinitta and Drag Royalty Divina De Campo announced to headline Dartford Pride

Pop Icon Sinitta and Drag Royalty Divina De Campo Announced to Headline Milestone 5th Anniversary of Dartford Pride. Orchard West, in partnership with Dartford Borough Council, is thrilled to announce that 80s pop sensation Sinitta will headline PrideFest: The Party...

Dartford’s Tia Tandy: A rugby star in the making!

My name is Tia Tandy. I have just turned 18, and I am a proud, lifelong Dartford resident. Dartford shaped my rugby journey, and it is where my story in the sport first began. I started playing at just eight years old with Dartford Valley Rugby Club, training on...

Olympian Sally Gunnell OBE becomes Ambassador for Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) ahead of Heli Hike and Family Fun Day in Sussex

Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) is delighted to announce that Sussex-based Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell OBE has become an official ambassador for the charity, marking her support for its lifesaving work across the region. The...

Diagrama Fostering Celebrates Young Talent at Dartford FC Academy Presentation Day

Diagrama Fostering was proud to support and attend the Dartford FC Academy Presentation Day held at Princes Park on Saturday 16 May, celebrating the hard work, dedication and achievements of young players across the Academy. The annual event brought together players,...

Marcus is one of hundreds helped by Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) Patient and Family Aftercare Service

Over the past four years, the Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) Patient and Family Aftercare Service has helped hundreds of people following life-changing incidents. Former patient Marcus Bawden, involved in a serious road traffic collision in 2023, is...