Just Bowl – Legacy

Just Bowl was initially developed as a pilot project for residential care homes, which received funding from Sport England for 18 months in December 2018.

The aim of the project was to evidence the impact of those taking part in the activity and specifically to focus on the improvement of the physical, mental and social wellbeing of participants.

The research element was led by Sheffield Hallam University and the final evaluation report identified that:

• Participants found the activity enjoyable and fun and it provided care home residents with a sense of accomplishment
• It encouraged participants to interact with new people, make friends and gave participants confidence and showed them they could achieve more.
• Just Bowl improved mobility and balance for care home residents by encouraging bending and stretching without the use of a walking aid.
• It provided an opportunity to break up time spent sedentary and consequently improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of those taking part.
• The activity met the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer physical activity guidelines.

Further information can be found in the final evaluation document on the link below:

Sheffield Hallam Just Bowl Research Findings 2019

Just Bowl 2020-2022

In January 2020 following the success of the plot project, Just Bowl received a further 3 years finding from Sport England and the Rayne Foundation to extend the project across more than 200 Residential Care Homes with the target of engaging 2000 participants in order to investigate the longevity of the project.

The Just Bowl team were also tasked with carrying out research with 7 dementia-specific care homes to determine what impact the activity had on the residents in the following areas:

Primary aim: To understand the impact of the Just Bowl programme on the functional capacity of care home residents with dementia.

Secondary aim: To assess the impact of Just Bowl from the perspectives of the care home staff.

Further funding was made available to extend the research element and work with three new key partners, the Stroke Association, Headway and Versus Arthritis.

Primary aim: To understand the impact of the Just Bowl on stroke survivors and understand the impact of the Just Bowl programme on the functional ability and mental wellbeing of people with brain and spinal injuries.

Secondary aim: To assess participant experiences of the programme.

During this time Just Bowl was also introduced into several other settings, including hospital wards, rehabilitation day centres and disability groups.