Congratulations to Victoria Bater-Sinclair, our Essex Activity Hero from Harlow. Read and be inspired by their story below: 

Dancing is an activity that increases muscular strength, encourages better co-ordination and sharpens the mind, but most importantly it is great fun! The outlook of Hip Hop Pop in Harlow was that dancing needed to continue to allow their members to access something that would benefit their mental and physical health during lockdown.

Established in 2002, Victoria and Jenny Bater-Sinclair wanted to create something for people in and around their community to enjoy. The club have seen more than 20,000 aspiring street dancers join and Victoria has been recognised as someone who has gone above and beyond this year, ensuring their members could still dance, look after their mental health and have fun with their families.

Like many, Victoria was quick to take the classes online, but the team also created pre-recorded content to provide something for everyone at a time that suited them. Victoria wanted to extend their offer to the members family as a way of having something to do together, to keep them all moving and provide some entertainment!

Victoria knew it was important to look after her members mental health, as well as their physical, so they commissioned guided meditation sessions for their members to take time out of their day to focus on themselves. It also became important to Victoria that members still felt connected to their close-knit community, despite not being able to meet physically. A virtual quiz night took place, with some weeks seeing over 100 households take part and she often sent out members birthday cards or provided a regular check in.

The individual who nominated Victoria expressed: “Victoria works so hard for the Hip Hop Pop members and has such a kind heart. She truly deserves this recognition.”

Thank you Livewell Harlow for choosing this story!