2 minute read
DRAGONS’ DEN
DRAGONS’
DEN
Yan Xiao is on a mission. Determined, resolute and committed she’s looking for recruits to join her band of badminton players.
Yan Xiao, a health link worker for Liverpool’s Chinese community, is taking her racquet and shuttlecock into the heart of the city’s Chinatown in a bid to help them understand the importance of exercise to their wellbeing. She’s just pitched for – and won – a Dragons’ Den style grant from Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust to support this isolated group of people. Yan explains: “Some Chinese people are in high end jobs in the city and take advantage of the leisure and exercise opportunities on offer. But there are also those who work exhaustingly long hours to become financially independent. They may be business owners, or workers who get paid only for the hours they put in. Either way they’re reluctant to take time off.
“We have a saying ‘health is wealth’, yet many people don’t understand medical terms, so are unaware about depression, cancer or diabetes. They are reluctant to seek help – being mentally unwell still carries stigma – so they either don’t know they have a problem, or they hide it. Families care for each other; they don’t feel confident to ask health or social services for help.” She shares the story of a young woman left alone with three children after the death of her husband – he was just 39 years old.
“She was so distressed. She told me he had worked extreme amounts of hours making sure he could support his family, but not looked after his own health.” Why badminton? “I needed to find something meaningful, that could connect people, give them a social hub and explain the benefits so they take ownership of their health. I know how good it makes you feel. I want my community to experience that,” she said.
Before going into the Dragons’ Den, Yan spoke with Chinese community leaders. “They say people are enthusiastic. They’re starting to realise the link between exercise and health,” she said. Having funding means we can hire badminton courts to run taster sessions and recruit volunteers to support and run groups that would eventually sustain themselves. That’s my hope. ” And that’s why the Dragons said... I’m in.
