A CLOSE-KNIT tai chi group fears it could be forced to close unless it attracts new members after losing people from its ageing class.
The class has met at Popley Fields Community Centre every Wednesday at 10am for more than a decade.
Janet Aris, 75, has attended for 11 years and said numbers had fallen as members died.
She said: “Gradually, and sadly, people have died, and so we don’t have enough members anymore.”
Members are aged between 65 and 90, and Janet described the class as “like a family group” where they are “all very close”.
She said the longest-serving member had attended for 14 years.
“If it were to close, it would mean a family losing its vital boost of health after 11 years,” Janet said.
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The group’s instructor has warned that the class may have to end in October unless more people join.
Janet Aris said the £7 sessions help members exercise, improve their balance and socialise.
“It’s an incredible health-giving club that helps you to stop the doom-scrolling and allows like-minded people to socialise,” she said.
Janet, who attends with her husband, said the classes had transformed her lifestyle.
Her husband joined the group four years ago after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
“It has made all the difference to me and my balance,” she said.
Janet said Popley Fields Community Centre had become a "vibrant community hub" with a café and afternoon teas, but the tai chi group was still struggling.
“Popley Fields Community Centre is such a hub now, but this one particular club is struggling,” she said. “It would be a shame to lose it.”
The centre’s website lists the weekly session as a Qigong and Taiji class held on Wednesdays from 10am to 11am.
Tai chi is a low-impact exercise linked to better balance, posture, relaxation and mental wellbeing. NHS guidance also recommends activities that improve older people’s strength, balance and flexibility.
Janet hopes new members will come forward before the class closes in October.
“It's like a family group,” she said. “We are all very close.”
Anyone interested in joining can call Popley Fields Community Centre on 01256 414494 or email popleyfields1996@hotmail.co.uk.
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