November 2024

Get ready for a healthier Winter

Now that the colder months are setting in, it’s a good time to prepare for winter and take steps to stay healthy.

Worcestershire County Council have just launched their Worcestershire Winters Well webpage.

It’s the go-to place for practical advice to help you stay physically, mentally, and financially well during winter.

Winter’s cold weather and shorter days can affect our wellbeing, making it important to look after ourselves and those who may be more vulnerable, particularly older adults and children.

The advice includes a few simple things you can do to help protect yourself from common winter bugs and illnesses like flu, norovirus and COVID-19.

Staying well in winter is about more than just avoiding illness. The Worcestershire Winters Well webpage covers a wide range of helpful topics, including:

• Tips on preventing falls and staying active
• Ways to support your mental health
• How to sign up for cold weather alerts and flooding advice
• Information on cost-of-living support and energy savings
• Warm spaces available in libraries across the county
• Information on Healthy Worcestershire the free group-based lifestyle support and community safety advice programme
• Advice on staying safe while travelling in winter conditions

For more information visit worcestershire.gov.uk/winter.

September 2024

Thank you to our partners at Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire for providing us with these helpful dates for our diaries in September:

Know your Numbers week – September 2nd – 8th

With the everyday pressures of life, we know that understanding why it’s important to know your blood pressure numbers and taking the time to get them measured isn’t always a priority. However, did you know that getting a blood pressure check is the first step to preventing heart attacks and strokes? High blood pressure is a major cause of these diseases but usually has no symptoms until it’s too late, which is why it’s known as ‘the silent killer’. Knowing your numbers means you can start making healthy lifestyle changes or start taking medicines if you need them to bring your blood pressure down to a healthy level. So the power is in your hands to check your blood pressure to see if it’s under control.

What can you do to lower your high blood pressure?
It’s not only your diet that affects your blood pressure, it’s your lifestyle overall. You can read the advice offered by Blood Pressure UK about ways to manage your blood pressure with lifestyle changes here.

National Fitness Day – Wednesday 18th September

National Fitness Day is an annual campaign by ukactive that highlights the role physical activity plays across the UK, helping to raise awareness of its importance in assisting us to lead healthier lifestyles.
The theme for 2024 is ‘Your Health is for Life’, a powerful message that can resonate with us all.

What are the benefits for my organisation?
For workplaces it gets your team active and unites them through a day of active fun. Regular exercise boosts our mood, improves our health, and gives us more energy, all of which are contributing factors to workplace productivity.

How can my organisation get involved?
There are a number of ways you can get involved this National Fitness Day.
• Run an event/activity: How about a company plank challenge?
• Make the most of everyday breaks: you could set up an active lunch break and either go for a walk as a group, or maybe a lunch time disco dance!
• Try something new, together: Encourage employees to leave their desks and move around for a couple of minutes every hour.
• What’s on in your area: You could find out if the local gym or studio is participants in National Fitness Day and see if they run some free day passes to try their activities.
• Ask your staff what health means to them, with a useful printout your colleague can express there what health represents to them

What is next?
Communicate with your staff about your plans, or even better, get a little group involved to decide what activities to run! If you download the National Fitness Day toolkit you can access some of their assets such as email banners and social media posts

August 2024

New Partner Announced!

We are really pleased to announce, that Herefordshire and Worcestershire Wellbeing and Recovery College are joining Active Herefordshire and Worcestershire as official partners to Work Well Live Better.

The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Wellbeing and Recovery College exists to bring people the support they need to feel healthier;  more connected; and to move ahead in life.

They work to drive forward the understanding of what recovery and self-management means; and to break down the stigmas that can be a barrier to good health.

Hosted by the charity Community First, they partner with professionals, local voluntary and community sector providers, and experts through lived experience to offer courses and workshops that enable and empower improvement in your own life, or to help you when you are supporting others in your personal and working life.

Their ethos is CHIME: Connectedness, Hope & optimism, Identity, Meaning & purpose. When you or your staff take the step to join us, you will be met with respect, compassion, and no judgement.

You can find out more via their website here: or email here. Or speak to one of the team Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm by calling 0300 302 0458

They offer courses and workshops which are open to anyone over the age of 18 living or working in Worcestershire or Herefordshire free of charge, or at low cost.  Our curriculum covers a range of topics, it is regularly updated and includes:

-“Introduction to Recovery,” which encourages people to explore what recovery means for them and to actively engage in self-care, prevention and rehabilitation activities.

-“My Perfectly Wonky Life,“ an online self-study course which offers refreshing and empowering perspectives on loss and changes in life for those who have faced challenges with mental/physical health, loss/bereavement, gender/sexuality, career/financial or significant life changes.

-A range of courses and sessions which cover topics such as eating well, exercise and building positive relationships.

-Sharing Education and skills to support with non clinical “symptoms” and to promote general health and wellbeing such as sleep, rest and raising energy levels.

-Writing for wellbeing which encourages self-expression and reflection in a safe and supportive environment and which we tailor for specific groups of people

-Support for people with particular unhelpful behaviours such” Managing anger and irritability” or problem gambling.

-Support for people with specific conditions such as” Next Steps to Recovery from an Eating Disorder.”

-Functional skills through our close working relationship with other VCSE skills providers.

March 2024

New Occupational Health Taskforce to tackle in-work sickness and drive down inactivity

Dame Carol Black, an experienced health policy advisor, will lead a new Taskforce to improve employer awareness of the benefits of Occupational Health in the workplace. The Taskforce is part of the government’s drive to tackle in-work sicknesses and help grow the economy. Businesses will be urged to tackle in-work sickness and stop people falling out the workforce, following the appointment of Dame Carol Black as the Government’s new Occupational Health Tsar. For more information please click here.

West Mercia Women’s Aid – A Song For WMWA

As you may already know, thanks to our fabulous supporters our short documentary film, sharing the WMWA choir’s journey, has made it through to the finals of the Smiley Charity Film Awards 2024!

We couldn’t have done it without the support of each and every person who voted and are so grateful for your support.

The WMWA choir was set up to bring staff, supporters and survivors together to empower one another and tell our story..

“I didn’t have any experience of singing whatsoever. But together it’s so beautiful, to find that you’ve got your voice back again and it’s so uplifting.” (Choir Member / Survivor.)

Voting for the additional ‘People’s Choice Award’ is now open and closes at midnight next week on 12th March – we need your support to be in with a chance of winning.

Please help share our story by voting here today – thank you!

February 2024

Work Well Live Better Upcoming Events

Our next two Work Well Live Better events are coming up in February and March, more details about these events will be circulated via email, and we look forward to welcoming you very soon! Have your say on the topics for your future events by voting here.

Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Vaccinations

NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire and Public Health are holding pop-up MMR vaccination clinics in these areas. You can ask for an MMR vaccine which does not contain pork ingredients if you prefer. The pop-up MMR clinic is free and no appointment is necessary but if you’d prefer an appointment, you can also book ahead by calling 01527 390030

Not sure if you or your child have, had it? Just check your red NHS book or ask at your local GP.

The clinics are being hosted in libraries on the following dates:

• Kidderminster Library – 10^th February , 9:30am until 4pm
• Wythall Library – 10th February, 9:30am until 4pm
• Redditch Library – 10^th February 9:30am until 4pm
• Evesham Library – 17 Feb, 9:30am until 4pm
• Malvern Library – 17 Feb, 9:30 am until 4pm
• The Hive – 17 Feb, 9:30 am until 4pm

If anyone has symptoms of measles, please stay at home and phone your GP or NHS 111 for advice. Do not go to GP surgeries or A & E departments so the illness isn’t spread to others.

For more information on measles and the MMR vaccine please visit: Measles – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Bikeability Training – Worcestershire County Council Road Safety Team

From January 2024 there are free Bikeability training sessions available for adults, starting from County Hall on Saturdays. For more information and to book, please visit Worcestershire County Council | Bikeability Cycle Training.

Resources to support working parents

Parent employees make up 43% of the UK’s workforce, which is around 13 million people. We know that working parents have several demands on their time; pressures from both work and home life. It’s critical we make organisational changes and decisions that offer parent employees the support, flexibility, and information they need to sustain a healthy work-life balance to prevent burnout. Kooth have developed a new resource to help support working parents. You can download this resource here.

Hollywood and Wythall fun run

There’s less than week to get an early bird discount for the Wythall and Hollywood Fun Run on Sunday 23 June at 10am at Wythall Park.

Sign up before midnight on Thursday 29 February a get 10% off your entrance fee for the 5K and 10K races.

Wythall and Hollywood Fun Run is welcoming to everyone, whether running is your regular hobby or if you are brand new to running and just fancy trying it.

World and Olympic medallist Steve Cram and the Events of the North team will be there on the day seeing runners over the finish line. He said:

“I’m looking forward to being there on Sunday 23 June. With a great running route on traffic-free roads, as well as activities for families and non-runners it should be a great day for Worcestershire.”

Alongside the event, the Wythall Community Association are holding a fun day with food stalls, entertainment and taster sessions of other activities on offer at the park.

Wythall Community Association have chosen the local Primrose Hospice as the official charity partner, runners who choose to fundraise for them will receive a full fundraising pack.

Runners will receive a bespoke medal designed especially for this event.

Book now at wythallhollywoodfunrun.org.uk.

Have your say on Air Quality in Worcestershire

As part of the programme of work for Air Quality, a survey has been launched to gather valuable insights from the community regarding air quality and air pollution.

The survey will cover various aspects of air quality including perceptions, behaviours, concerns, as well as suggestions for improvement. By actively participating, individuals can contribute to shaping future air quality policies and initiatives to help make Worcestershire air better for everyone.

To complete the survey, please visit www.worcsregservices.gov.uk/airquality

The survey closes on 12^th May 2024.

We would like as much feedback as possible, so please do share the survey link with your colleagues and networks.

January 2024

Worcestershire County Council Public Health Suicide Prevention Team are holding a Suicide Prevention in the workplace online awareness session on Tuesday 30^th January 2024 from 10:30am-12:00pm.

Aimed at businesses working across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, delivered by Worcestershire County Council Public Health Suicide Prevention Team find out how to:

• Reduce stigma around mental health in the workplace and promote help seeking behaviour
• Increase awareness of support available and embed suicide prevention within company culture
• Promote the use of tools and resources to help maintain good emotional wellbeing

To register for the event, please fill in this registration form

More information about the programme can be found here:
Suicide prevention in the workplace | Worcestershire County Council

Time to Talk World Cafe Event

Join The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Wellbeing and Recovery College us 1st February 2024, 10-12.30 at the Arena, University of Worcester for a World Café event.

Our World Café event will create a safe and supportive, informal café setting for people to explore stigma – talk about ways to recognise it, re-educate ourselves about it and decide how to reduce stigma in our everyday lives.

Alongside the world café will be a marketplace of local resources and support organisations where people can gather more information, advice or help with mental health and wellbeing for themselves or others.

To Book a place use the Eventbrite Link: Time to Talk Day World Café Tickets, Thu 1 Feb 2024 at 10:00 | Eventbrite

Email: HW_WellbeingRecoveryCollege@comfirst.org.uk for more information.