The Story Behind She Moves Pilates for Women 40+

In February 2026, Reach for a Star C.I.C. launched FREE She Moves Pilates for Women 40+, thanks to funding from Sport England. The vision was never simply to deliver just another exercise classes.

Our aim was always to build a community where women could rebuild their strength, improve their wellbeing and realise it is easier to do it together in a motivated and supportive environment! 

Many of the women joining us had not exercised for a few years. A lot of women told us, they used to be active before Covid’19, and they were struggling to get back to the same level of fitness…

Some of us were living with back pain, stiff joints or reduced mobility. Others lacked confidence, felt isolated or simply didn’t know where to start. Traditional gyms and fitness classes often felt intimidating, expensive or unsuitable.

She Moves was designed to change that.

It is a WOMEN ONLY environment. 

From the very first class, our focus is on encouragement rather than perfection. Every woman is welcomed exactly as she is. There is no pressure to “keep up” or compare your-self with anyone else. Instead, we celebrate every small step forward—whether that’s touching your toes for the first time, standing taller, sleeping better or simply feeling proud for attending class consistently.

Building Something That Lasts

From the beginning, Reach for a Star wanted She Moves to become more than a short-term funded project.

” In May 2023, at The Royal Orthopedic Hospital in Birmingham, at the age of 39, I was told I am on a pathway to total hips replacement. I am the youngest person at the waiting rooms at every Orthopedic appointment, ever since.

I was offered a ”repair keyhole surgery”, which would make me physically inactive for 3 months and I would need to relay on a walking frame.

Unfortunately, due to hypermobility in joints, they were unable to tell me

1. if it was going to be successful in the first place

2. even if it was successful- how long before the symptoms would return.

After that conversation, I realised something that changed my thought process going forward

– I had no upper body strength to use a walking frame for 3 months!

Long story short- Pilates was one of the form of exercise, that was mentioned during some of the appointments. But NHS has never offered me a free social prescriptions to attend Pilates Classes, which cost between £5-10 per session!

I am very passionate about Social Justice, and believe everyone should have access to free physical exercises, which help to improve their long term health! I also believe it is our Social Responsibility, to look after our own health to prevent Old Age Related Health Problems, and reduce the strain on NHS.

And that is How the Idea to provide free Pilates Classes in the Community was born! ”

To ensure the programme could continue long after the initial funding ended, our Director, Sylwia Juranek, made the decision to train as a Pilates teacher herself.

While the community benefits from free classes, Sylwia is gaining valuable teaching experience under professional supervision and building the practical skills needed to deliver the programme independently.

Her Pilates Instructor Level 3 Practical Assessment takes place on 12 September 2026, and she is on track to achieve her full Pilates Teacher Level 4 Qualification by the end of 2026.

This means She Moves is not only improving women’s health—it is also building the long-term capacity of Reach for a Star to continue delivering affordable, high-quality Pilates within the community for many years to come.

What Women Are Telling Us

The most powerful evidence of success comes from the women themselves.

Week after week, participants tell us they are noticing real changes in their everyday lives.

They report:

• Sleeping better at night.
• Reduced back pain and stiffness.
• Improved posture.
• Greater flexibility and mobility.
• Feeling physically stronger.
• Increased confidence in moving their bodies.
• More energy throughout the day.
• Better mental wellbeing.

And perhaps one of our favorite outcomes to observe are the newly formed connections between Women who attend the Class on Regular Basis. 

Community is what keeps us coming back and makes Showing Up for Our-Self so much Easier. 

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To JOIN She Moves Community

in Darlaston and Wednesbury, Scan the QR Code or click here: 

https://forms.gle/BiyYTsAhAdqePZBF6

Looking Ahead

She Moves is proving that investing in women’s health is about far more than exercise.

It is about helping women remain Independent, Confident and Active as we age.

We believe Pilates should be a FREE NHS Prescription to every person 40+!

We believe a min of 60 minutes Pilates should be Mandatory in every school! 

We advocate the Benefits of Pilates everywhere we go! 

Let’s Create a Network of She Moves Champions Together!

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MESSAGE TO Our Community

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Life is not about being perfect. It’s about continuous movement.

If You Would Like to Become a Pilates Instructor/ Teacher- please get in touch with your Community Leader and we will Inform You about ‘My Reach for a STAR’ Opportunity

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To START a NEW She Moves Community in a New Location, email us on contact@myreachforastar.co.uk

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SPONSOR!

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Our Current Class needs funding to cover the costs of the Venues!

If you can help us with the venue cost- we will be able to continue providing free classes for women in the community.

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DATA FOR FUNDERS:

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Funding Request: Venue Hire to Continue FREE  She Moves Pilates for Women 40+

Reach for a Star C.I.C. is seeking financial support to cover the venue hire costs required to continue delivering FREE She Moves Pilates classes for women aged 40+.

We are not seeking funding to establish a new programme. She Moves already has an established community, regular attendance and evidence of positive outcomes.

Funding the venue would enable us to remove one of the main barriers identified by women themselves — cost — and continue providing a preventative, community-based physical activity programme that supports priorities across the NHS, Local Authority and Public Health.

Who She Moves is reaching

Our current She Moves community register includes 57 women.

Of the 56 women who provided their age:

• 50 women – 89% – are aged 40+
• The largest age groups are women aged 40–55
• Women aged 60–65 and 65+ are also participating

The programme is therefore reaching women at an important stage of life when maintaining muscle strength, balance, flexibility, mobility and confidence to remain physically active becomes increasingly important.

Attendance records within the current community show between 18 and 24 individual women attending during each month between February and July, demonstrating sustained engagement rather than one-off participation.

What did women tell us before joining?

Baseline Assessment: 100% = 54 respondents

The baseline assessment demonstrates that many women were joining She Moves because they were already experiencing physical or wellbeing challenges.

Physical activity

Before joining:

• 43 of 54 women – 80% – were not regularly active
• 17 of 54 – 31% – were rarely active or not active at all

This demonstrates that She Moves is not simply attracting women who already exercise regularly. It is engaging women who have an opportunity to become more physically active.

Pain and physical health

53 of 54 women – 98% – experienced pain or stiffness at least occasionally.

More significantly:

• 35 women – 65% – experienced pain or stiffness daily or several times per week
• 28 women – 52% – joined because of reduced flexibility or mobility
• 24 women – 44% – identified joint pain or stiffness
• 20 women – 37% – identified back pain
• 17 women – 31% – identified menopause-related changes

Baseline scores also identified opportunities for improvement in:

• Strength – 2.85/5
• Flexibility – 3.00/5
• Balance – 3.07/5
• Mobility – 3.61/5

Mental wellbeing and social connection

The programme is also addressing issues beyond physical exercise.

• 27 women – 50% – identified mental wellbeing as a reason for joining
• 33 of 54 women – 61% – described themselves as only a little socially connected or not socially connected at all
• 33 women hoped to meet new people
• 24 wanted to share experiences with other women
• 12 specifically wanted to feel less isolated

Importantly, 23 of 54 women – 43% – specifically identified cost/free sessions as a reason for joining.

This is particularly important when considering future funding. Removing free access may remove the very condition that enabled some women to start participating in the first place.

What has changed?

We subsequently asked women to complete a “What’s Different?” assessment.

Follow-up Assessment: 100% = 22 respondents

The results show a consistent positive direction of change.

Physical activity and confidence

21 of 22 women – 95% – said they had become more active since joining She Moves.

Of these:

• 10 women said they were a lot more active than before
• 11 women said they were a little more active
• only one reported no change

Most significantly:

22 of 22 women – 100% – reported increased confidence to exercise.

Twelve said they felt “way more confident” to exercise and ten reported being “a little more confident”.

Physical changes

Women reported:

• 17 of 22 – 77% – feeling more stretched and flexible
• 16 of 22 – 73% – improved posture
• 13 of 22 – 59% – improved balance
• 11 of 22 – 50% – sleeping better
• 9 of 22 – 41% – experiencing less pain

Women’s individual comments reinforce the quantitative results. Participants reported improvements including reduced aches and pains, improved mobility in a frozen shoulder, increased strength, greater flexibility and feeling healthier.

One woman reported that she could now stand up without holding onto something, had experienced reduced arthritis pain and felt less stressed following classes. She also reported that since attending she had not needed to visit her GP for pain or medication relating to previous physical ailments.

While this is an individual self-reported experience rather than a clinical outcome, it illustrates the potential preventative value of maintaining regular community physical activity.

Mental wellbeing

20 of 22 women – 91% – reported improvements in their mood and/or anxiety.

• 12 reported improved mood
• 8 reported improvements in both mood and anxiety

Social connection

17 of 22 women – 77% – reported becoming more socially connected.

Seven women specifically said they had made new social connections.

Women describe enjoying not only the exercise but also:

• meeting other women;
• getting out of the house regularly;
• being part of a supportive group;
• exercising without feeling judged or pressured;
• the women-only environment; and
• being with women of a similar age and stage of life.

She Moves is therefore producing outcomes across physical health, mental wellbeing and community connection simultaneously.

Direct Before-and-After Evidence

We were also able to confidently match 17 follow-up respondents with their original baseline assessment, providing an additional direct comparison.

Average scores changed as follows:

Measure	Baseline	Follow-up	Change
Mobility	3.71	4.00	+0.29
Flexibility	3.12	3.59	+0.47
Balance	3.06	3.71	+0.65
Strength	2.88	3.59	+0.71
Motivation	3.47	3.94	+0.47

The strongest improvements are particularly evident in strength and balance.

This matters because the UK Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidance specifically emphasises maintaining muscle strength, balance and flexibility, particularly as people age. Current guidance highlights their importance for maintaining physical function, independence and reducing falls risk. (GOV.UK)

Why continuing She Moves is in the interests of local partners

NHS

She Moves supports the NHS direction of travel from sickness to prevention and from hospital to community. The 10 Year Health Plan specifically identifies these as major shifts required to create a sustainable health service. (GOV.UK)

Continued provision has the potential to support:

• increased physical activity;
• improved strength, mobility and balance;
• management of musculoskeletal pain and stiffness;
• improved mental wellbeing;
• increased confidence to self-manage health;
• healthier ageing; and
• reduced avoidable demand on primary and secondary healthcare over time.

We are not suggesting that a Pilates class replaces clinical services. It provides an upstream community intervention which may help women remain healthier for longer and manage aspects of their wellbeing before needs escalate.

Local Authority

For the Local Authority, the programme contributes to:

• prevention and early intervention;
• maintaining independence as women age;
• reducing social isolation;
• community participation;
• healthier ageing;
• improving individual wellbeing;
• strengthening local community networks; and
• potentially delaying future demand for health and social care support.

The NHS neighbourhood health approach also specifically calls for NHS organisations, Local Authorities and community partners to work together, engage local communities and deliver support closer to people’s homes. (NHS England)

She Moves is already demonstrating what this can look like in practice.

Public Health

For Public Health, She Moves provides a practical mechanism for increasing physical activity amongst women who may otherwise remain inactive.

The latest UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidance confirms that physical activity supports physical and mental health, sleep, quality of life, strength and balance, while contributing to prevention of long-term health conditions. (GOV.UK)

She Moves also addresses several barriers to participation identified directly by women:

cost, confidence, women-only provision, social isolation and concerns about existing pain or reduced mobility.

It is therefore not simply an exercise class. It is an accessible community health and prevention intervention designed around the needs of the women who use it.

Why fund the venue?

The community, programme model and participant engagement already exist.

We are therefore asking partners to make a relatively simple investment:

cover the cost of the venue so that women can continue attending without charge.

This provides significantly greater value than allowing an established preventative programme to end and attempting to rebuild engagement at a later stage.

With 43% of baseline respondents identifying free access/cost as a factor in joining, charging participants risks excluding some of the women whom preventative services most need to reach.

Investment in venue hire would protect:

• an established community;
• regular physical activity;
• increasing strength, balance and mobility;
• improved mental wellbeing;
• reduced isolation;
• increased confidence to exercise; and
• an accessible preventative intervention delivered within the neighbourhood.

Our Request

We would welcome an opportunity for the NHS, Local Authority, Public Health and other local partners to support the continuation of She Moves by funding the venue hire required to maintain FREE Pilates provision for women aged 40+.

The early outcome data is encouraging. The next step is not to lose the progress already made, but to build on it, continue monitoring outcomes and demonstrate what a sustained community-based preventative programme can achieve over a longer period.

A relatively small investment in community infrastructure now can help women remain active, connected, confident and independent for longer.

A particularly strong point for commissioners is “we are not asking you to fund a new idea; we are asking you to protect an intervention that is already engaging women and showing outcomes.” I would also put the 95% more active, 100% increased exercise confidence, 91% improved mood, 77% improved social connection and 41% reporting less pain into a one-page visual evidence summary to accompany the request.

Thank you 

She Moves Community