A COLCHESTER resident, who moved to the town almost 20 years ago, is starting a fitness class to encourage stress release and give people a chance to meet friends.

Anastassia Abdrafikova, of Estonia, is a fitness instructor who has lived in Colchester for 20 years. She has organized a class to run on Abbey Fields from 11am on Saturday, the 7 of May. The class will also provide refreshments for afterwards, in a bid to encourage socialising and making friends.

She said: “I have lived in Colchester for nearly 20 years, I can still remember my arrival, the frustration, the lack of friendships and how much I missed my family. I thought I could help people to release stress by exercises, to maybe make new friends and to feel more included in our lovely community

“A lot of new people are arriving at the moment and because of my background, I thought I could try and help them. I know how important exercising is for wellbeing and mental health when people are stressed. I also understand the lack of resources that comes with moving, especially bearing in mind the circumstances that many people who migrated now experienced. The class - or several, if popular - will be held for donations starting from zero and also in the Russian language.”