14 April 2026
A community-led approach to health and wellbeing: Lorn & Oban Healthy Options.
William Grant Foundation
Lorn & Oban Healthy Options group session in Oban. Photo by Stephen Lawson.
Key learnings:
- Person‑centred, preventative health and wellbeing support helps people stay well over time.
- Working in rural and island communities requires flexibility, local knowledge and adaptability to overcome barriers linked to distance, cost and access.
- Strong local partnerships enable shared delivery, workforce development and clearer pathways for people with different needs.
- Flexible, multi‑year funding frees up community organisations to plan for the long-term and respond to their community’s needs.
Lorn & Oban Healthy Options is a community‑led charity supporting people who are living with, or at risk of developing, long‑term health conditions. Based in Oban, their work supports people across Lorn, Oban, the Isle of Mull and surrounding rural communities.
Healthy Options delivers a specialist service that helps people build the skills, confidence and support needed to self‑manage their health and wellbeing. Their work is grounded in a strong belief that people need the right support at the right time.
Their offer is built around three connected programmes:
- ADAPT – a structured community exercise rehabilitation programme for people with complex health needs
- THRIVE – a supported programme for people who are inactive or at risk of long‑term conditions
- ELEVATE & Stay Active – an open, longer‑term programme focused on staying active, connected and well
People are supported to move between programmes depending on their needs, with clear pathways and a strong emphasis on continuity rather than time‑limited intervention.
Removing barriers to engagement
A core feature of Healthy Options’ approach is accessibility. Rather than means‑testing or fixed fees, they operate a suggested fee model, trusting people to contribute what they are able and recognising that financial barriers can prevent people from engaging at all.
As Jakki Spicer, Finance and Business Manager, explains:
“Means testing is a barrier. It can be embarrassing or arduous – and people often just won’t bother.”
Alongside removing barriers and supporting dignity, this approach also contributes to sustainability by generating unrestricted funding that the charity can use flexibly to respond to need, reducing reliance on additional grants.
Healthy Options’ sessions go beyond physical activity, providing people with opportunities to build friendships and connect with their community. Photo by Stephen Lawson.
Working in partnership
Healthy Options’ model continues to evolve in response to what people share about their experience of services, and partnerships are a key part of making that happen.
From the outset, the charity has worked closely with Atlantis Leisure – a community-run, charity sports and leisure centre. As demand for Healthy Options’ services began to outstrip capacity, strong relationships and shared values made it possible to have open and constructive conversations about how to respond together for the benefit of the community.
The partnership has since helped extend provision with the introduction of ELEVATE & Stay Active. Participants can now move more easily between structured support and community‑based activity, depending on what they need at different points. This helps people maintain progress and stay connected, rather than cycling in and out of short-term services.
Both organisations are now better able to support more people living with long‑term conditions, offering excellent facilities, appropriate care and reassurance. Working together to develop staff skills and confidence is also helping to grow expertise locally. Gill Bruce, Development Manager and Clinical Lead, notes,
“The partnership is creating potential career pathways for young people within a rural community with limited job opportunities.”
Healthy Options also works closely with GPs, health professionals and third sector organisations. This wider network helps ensure people are supported into the right programme and remain connected to other forms of help when needed.
Supporting people in rural and island communities
Working across rural and island communities brings both opportunities and challenges. Healthy Options supports people across a wide geographic area, including places where travel, time and cost can present real barriers – particularly for those living with long‑term conditions.
In response, Healthy Options has adapted its delivery through offering transport support where possible, developing home‑based programmes, and learning from pilots in different locations with different needs and challenges. The charity has also made pragmatic decisions about where services are based to balance reach, sustainability and impact.
Alongside these challenges, there are clear benefits to working in smaller, connected communities where the team often see the ripple effects of their work more clearly. Gill says,
“People often stay beyond sessions, meeting others, building friendships and becoming part of a community. These social aspects are often just as important as the physical activity itself.”
Listen to participants share how Healthy Options has helped them stay active, connected and well in this short film by Beth Chalmers.
This sense of belonging has become one of the most visible outcomes of the work, and connection is particularly important for people’s wellbeing in rural areas where the risk of isolation is higher.
What flexible funding makes possible
Our support for Healthy Options through our Health and Social Causes strand has been in the form of multi-year unrestricted funding. Healthy Options are clear about the difference this funding makes, and the trust they feel when the team are empowered to decide how a grant is used from year-to-year. Jakki says:
“Managing lots of restricted grants can place such a heavy administrative burden on small and mid‑sized organisations, constraining their ability to be responsive and diverting time and energy away from supporting communities.”
Flexible funding has allowed the charity to stay focused on their mission, invest in partnerships, protect staff capacity and adapt to change based on what they are learning from the community. It has also supported longer‑term planning, rather than forcing short‑term decisions driven by funding timetables.
Looking ahead
Healthy Options continues to refine its model, strengthen partnerships and share learning with others working in prevention and community‑based health. Their experience highlights the importance of trust, flexibility and strong local relationships in supporting people to live well – particularly in rural and island communities.
By working collaboratively, staying responsive to feedback and focusing on long‑term wellbeing, Healthy Options offers a practical example of how community‑led approaches can make a lasting difference.
