Living Well UK, the leading mental health charity in the West Midlands, is set to offer teachers, educators, and school staff across Birmingham and Solihull free, active sessions throughout the Christmas holidays. The ‘Winter Recharge’ sessions will see groups of 10 led by Sarah Cannon – a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner and Personal Trainer – take part in circuit activities in Brueton Park, followed by a wellness-themed cool-down.
To combat record levels of burnout and stress across the profession – with a recent YouGov survey commissioned by an education charity last year finding that 75% of teachers in the UK reporting symptoms of stress, including depression, anxiety and panic attack – Living Well UK are bringing back its free ‘Winter Recharge’ sessions.
Spanning 45 minutes, the sessions will include a variety of exercises and interval training that cater for all fitness levels and capabilities, and are open to any teachers, educators and school staff during the festive break. What’s more, participants will then take with a meditation-inspired cool-down, followed by wellbeing practitioner led-talk that offers more insight into Living Well’s services and resources designed to provide more long-term mental health and wellbeing support.
Commenting on the importance of offering these free sessions, Sarah Cannon, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner and Personal Trainer at Living Well UK, said:
“This Christmas, we’re really excited to be offering teachers and educators across the city the chance to get up and moving outdoors, by taking part in our free, Half Term Recharge sessions.
“After recording a marked increase in the number of people reaching out for support with their mental health during the pandemic and the months beyond this, there is a consistent demand for more resources to be available. To combat this, we have been delivering a wide range of free physical and creative activities across the Midlands to provide holistic, accessible wellbeing support.
With Living Well UK supporting over 12,000 individuals in Birmingham suffering from mental ill health since 2020 – with dedicated helplines and resources available for front line workers during and following the height of the pandemic – the consortium understands the importance of funding innovative projects like this one, in a bid to help people to access alternative support and discover new hobbies.
“With the return of our Winter Recharge sessions, we also hope to raise the awareness of the other ways in which Living Well UK can support teachers and educators living in Birmingham and Solihull to improve their wellbeing with approaches, such as walking therapy and personal training alongside guided cognitive behavioural therapy, to ensure they are happy and healthy both in and out of work.”
