IT IS an activity that is more likely to be enjoyed by school children.

But a group of Hampshire women is harnessing the power of the hula hoop to raise cash for charity and most importantly to have fun.

The Hula Hunnies group was an idea of Dottie Woods, a person-centred counsellor, who was inspired to run gentle fit-based classes after counselling people suffering with cancer and depression.

It was when she was thinking of a way to make people happy after a difficult time in life that the 47-year-old from Braishfield discovered the hula hoop’s powers.

The surprising positive effect of hooping has not only enabled Dottie to improve her patient’s lives but has also attracted some of her friends who asked her to set up the Hula Hunnies group to have fun and raise money for charity.

Now, every week since 2015, almost 20 women turn up to the Village Hall in Braishfield with hula hoops in hands ready to sweep their hips and have fun.

The mother-of-two said: “I was counselling and I realised that people who went through cancer were feeling uncomfortable in their body after having had surgery and I thought that I needed something that was gentle but that could also build their self-esteem and fitness level and I thought of hula hoop and then some friends saw me performing and asked me to teach them how to hoop and here we are.”

To give people the best tricks to keep the hula hoop spinning around their waist and offer them an occasion to smile and be happy, Dottie became a qualified hula hoop teacher.

“I set up the group just for fun and happiness because I enjoy see the smile on people’s face and see their confidence grow. This is also a chance to bring people together.

"In other classes you don’t get a chance to talk to people while with hula hoop classes you chat and laugh a lot and this is also a way for us to support local charities while we have fun.”

Since they started, the Hula Hunnies ladies have helped several local charities including Mencap, Alex Lewis and Jane Scarth House by donating evening classes' proceeds.

“Running this group is lovely. They are all very supportive with each other and we all became friends. We wouldn’t have come together without our hula hoops. I have never thought that an exercise could boost people’s confidence as hula hoop does,” Dottie said.

Sally Yalden, 46, businesswoman, from Braishfield, has enjoyed Dottie’s classes so much to enrol in courses to further develop her skills and learn how to dance while hooping. She said: “My life has changed since I started hooping with this group. I feel more positive and I increased my self-esteem. I am happy and I have fun teaching my six-year-old son.”

For some of them this was the first hobby they managed to stick with for a long time, like happened to Kate Marshall, 46, finance director, from Braishfield who was one of the first to join the group and said: “Hooping is great. It gives me so much confidence and when you get used to it it’s very cool. People who look at you hooping are happy and impressed and this makes your self-esteem increase.”

The ladies are now planning more events for this summer and welcome everyone who wants to attend the hula hoop classes. They meet every Monday at 6.30 at the Village Hall in Braishfield and each class cost £5.