In August we ran our first Wellbeing Day, organised by members of the Step Up, Our Place and Community Supporters projects. Over 50 people attended and participated in a variety of activities.
We kicked off the day with a talk on stress management and relaxation techniques, followed by a cycling confidence activity on Hackney Downs, with support from Hackney Council. The council are offering two FREE lessons on cycling to residents (including tips on cycling for the road), for more details check out this link: Cycle Training Hackney. For people who wanted a slower pace, a relaxing walk around Victoria Park was led by local volunteer Steve.
After everyone had been put through their paces, what else could be next but lunch! Both staff and volunteers worked together to bring us an amazing spread of food. There was an array of different cuisines on offer, from sandwiches to chapatis, spring roles, to sandwiches and fruit and veg. A big thank you to all who kept us fed!
With everyone re-charged, we moved on to the afternoon activities. First up was a an outdoor gardening class, organised by some of the green-fingered members of Step Up. With the day drawing to a close, we got moving and stretching again with a combined dance and yoga class at the New Kingshold Community Centre, led by staff and volunteers.
This was a truly great opportunity from staff, volunteers and service users from across our various projects to come together, meet and have fun on a social environment. Added to this was the bonus of learning some new skills that could be put to lasting use – as one of the attendees said, “the talk on Stress Management was very informative and has given me knowledge on how to cope with stress”.
5 to Thrive tells us that there are small changes you can make to help improve your wellbeing – and volunteering is a great way to connect with others, learn and be physically active. Days like this are a fantastic way to stay in shape in a fun, friendly, environment – as one of the participants put it, ‘the energy, enthusiasm and laughter was really good to be a part of”.
If you like the sound of this, then Tuesday 10th October should be a date for your diary. We will be running our next VCH Volunteer Fair, ‘Give to Feel Good’ in celebration of World Mental Health Day. Come along and discover how you can give back to the community, whilst also improving your own health and wellbeing. For more information on how to get involved in Step Up, call us on 020 7241 4443 ext. 203.