Oxford Coasters, part of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, are a unique group of patients/service users and staff who use sport and leisure time activities to promote health and wellbeing and allow patients/service users, who might otherwise have limited opportunities to socialise, engage with others and get involved in their local community.

Coasters are delighted to be co-ordinating a project under the “Grundtvig Life Long Learning Programme” which funds training opportunities for adult education. The project involves four organisations from four different countries (UK, France, Slovakia and Belgium) and will bring them all together for a two year collaboration.

The four partners will use international exchange visits to share their experiences of best practice and learn from each other in the areas of participation in sport and social inclusion. The visits will take the form of sport focused events and will involve patients/service users, staff and volunteers. With a strong emphasis on the personal views of participants who have had their own personal experience of mental health problems, the approach will be to explore how sport and recreation can improve their well-being and how society can help to provide the right conditions for their recovery.

The final event will be held in Oxford in June 2013 where the outcomes will be discussed and made public.