Our Health and Wellbeing Day in Gorseinon

To continue to promote wellbeing and mental health awareness throughout May, one of our Wellbeing Champions, Kelly Bent, organised a Health and Wellbeing Day. The event in Gorseinon was open to staff and people we support, and showcased the different ways people can look after their health and wellbeing.   

One Mirus staff member said:

“Wellbeing is so important, both physically and mentally. You don’t have to do anything drastic; just something small here and there can make a massive difference. Going for a long walk can help clear your head and is a way to incorporate movement into your routine. You don’t realise how much of a benefit it is until you’re doing it.”   

The wellbeing event had many healthy food alternatives to show people how something can be tasty and still be good for you. Oat muffins were available in three flavours – apple, mixed berries, and raspberry. The muffins went down a treat, and there were recipe sheets that people could take with them. 

Kelly Bent said:

“The oat muffins are a healthier alternative; they’re something to eat without too much sugar, and they work out at about 15 calories per muffin.”  

Outside was a pizza station where staff were making healthy versions of pizzas. They used tortilla wraps as the base with tomato puree and toppings of the person’s choosing. Ham and pineapple toppings were a favourite, closely followed by ham and mushroom. The pizzas turned out great and only took six minutes to cook in the pizza oven.    

One of the people we support said:

“I liked my pizza; it was yummy.”   

As well as food, there was also a smoothie station where people could make their own healthy smoothies. There were three smoothie options: mixed berries and banana, mango, and a green smoothie. For the smoothies, either almond or coconut milk was used, depending on the preference.    

Throughout the day, there were many activities that people could get involved in. There was a positivity jar station where people could decorate a jar and take it home with them. The jars can be filled with anything from positive thoughts and notes to quotes you love. 

About her jar, C said:

“I’m enjoying making my jar; it’s got all my favourite colours. It’s beautiful; look at all the flowers.”  

Another activity was finger painting, which lots of people got involved in. People also got involved in a game of healthy bingo, with pictures linking to health and wellbeing. These images included a water bottle, a banana, and a carrot. Great prizes were also on offer, such as pop-it fidget bracelets.   

A fun scavenger hunt helped to motivate people to move more. There were letters all over the house that people had to look for and then rearrange to spell a word relating to wellbeing, which was ‘positivity’. 

There was also a health and wellbeing table with information on becoming healthier. For example, the stand showed how it is better to eat wholemeal pasta instead of white pasta and to have brown bread instead of white bread. It also showed how much sugar was in certain drinks; there is 27g of sugar in a can of Coke!    

One staff member said:

“I didn’t realise how much sugar was in these things. I’m definitely going to try and cut some of these out after seeing this.”   

About the event, Kelly Bent said:

“Our Health and Wellbeing Day was a success. I am hopeful that everyone took something positive away from the day.”  

Our month of wellbeing and mental health awareness is just the start. We want to ensure that our workplace environment is supportive and allows staff to flourish. This is one of the reasons we are working with Platfform to become a trauma-responsive organisation, and to create a workplace culture where everyone feels valued and able to contribute.