Laura's story

Laura has always enjoyed being active. When she was young, she loved to dance, and has taken part in many activities throughout her lifetime. But, it was the sad death of her husband that made reality hit home – physical activity can be such a powerful healing tool. 

She says: “Joining the leisure centre really helped me. When my husband first died, I used to find myself driving around in my car, I didn’t have anywhere to go, I was looking for something/someone who wasn’t there anymore, I felt lost and unanchored. I didn’t want to stay at home because it just made the sadness more acute.” 

She initially joined Felixstowe Leisure Centre to ensure she had a neutral place to go and spend some time with herself, but amongst people. Like many others facing difficult situations, she was looking for an escape. Her priority has always been her children, aged 8 and 4, and she knew she needed to be strong for them. 

“I felt like I had a duty to be as healthy as possible for myself and for them. It would be so unfair and irresponsible of me to not be the healthiest I could be, to strive for longevity so that they wouldn’t have to experience the loss of another parent for as long as possible.” 

In the beginning, she mostly used the health suite, which she found very beneficial as a form of escapism. She also found the swimming pool therapeutic; it wasn’t all about fitness, it was more the enjoyable feeling of being immersed in the water. Simply floating and gently swimming was beneficial.