MHAW 2019 Round Up

13-19 May was Mental Health Awareness Week and the team attended events across the city…

Derby City Life Links went to an event for Derby City Council employees on Wednesday.  We spoke to over 70 staff about body image and its impact on mental health. We took along our body image board and asked people to write something they liked about themselves. The response was positive with people joining in the activity and chatting to colleagues about themselves. Some people found it difficult to name positive qualities or traits and colleagues encouraged them to do so. Derby City Life Links was one of 5 organisations who had been invited to the event. We also met the mental health first aider and a member of staff who ran a walking group everyday in her lunch time. Several staff mentioned their own mental health journey and the road they travelled to return to work.

On Wednesday evening from 7 till 9, Derby City Life Links joined 9 other organisations and 10 members of the public for a speed meet and greet event run by Tanvir Akram at BBC Radio Derby. The energy and buzz in the room was high as every 5 minutes we had a different person to talk to. Three people gave us their details to say they are interested in volunteering with us. The Depressed Cake Company was there and we were each treated to a delicious cupcake which was grey on the outside and bursting with colour and flavour inside. We were all ready for the cup of tea provided at the end of the evening after talking and listening non-stop for two hours.

The team headed to FirstSource on Thursday, to speak to the Sky call centre’s workers. It was a busy afternoon and the stand proved very popular, as did the stress balls we were giving away! Again, we took our body image board along and got lots of great responses. We talked about the importance of practicing self-compassion when we think and talk about ourselves.

Derby City Life Links were invited to an event at the Museum and Art gallery on Friday. This started with a healthy breakfast of fresh fruit and so many flavours of herbal tea bags that they could have done with having their own menu.  About 8 people who use our services attended and enjoyed talks on nutrition, probiotics and biblio-therapy. The audience asked questions about nutrition, exercise and well being. Ian Skye from the BBC Radio Derby breakfast show opened the event and members of the audience were interviewed about their mental health stories. The sun shone and the group went for a walk by the river gardens.

Thank you to Kristian, Mental Health First Aid Trainer at Derby City Council, Tanvir Akram at BBC Radio Derby and Firstsource for arranging the events and inviting us to take part.