Project in Wigan Borough

Living Well with Pain and Illness is a free course for people in Wigan Borough who are currently out of work and receiving benefits such as Incapacity Benefit, Disability Living Allowance and Income Support.

The course is delivered by fully qualified Breathworks trainers, and is designed to help participants manage their body and thoughts and get the most out of life. 

Background to this Project

Breathworks CIC were commissioned to deliver twelve Living Well programmes as part of the Worklessness Strategy for Wigan, funded by the Government’s Working Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF).

The WNF merges with the Department for Work and Pensions’ Deprived Areas Fund (DAF) to create a single fund at the local level. It provides resources to local authorities to tackle worklessness and low levels of skills and enterprise in their most deprived areas. As a result Wigan, which is one of the most deprived areas of the country, is seeking to adopt innovative methods of helping people on incapacity benefit improve their lives.

The project is running as a trial through to early 2010 with no more courses due to start immediately. The results will be carefully monitored and evaluated and if successful the programmes may become part of the mainstream provision in the area.