Time to look forward

, ,

By Miranda Foster

Do you want to make new friends?

We have all been stuck inside and now very soon freedom awaits us but what do we want to do with it? We have had lots of time to consider this but now it is hurtling towards us at an extremely fast pace. Nerves are there at the thought of doing the things we have done for years; you are not alone in this as many people feel the same. Make sure you talk to a family member, a friend or a neighbour and I’m sure they will happily give the time to help you overcome this.

 

Whilst you have been sitting in the house, have you thought of a new idea of something you would like to do or decided now is the time to find out more about a hobby you have always dreamt about or maybe you have a skill that you would like to teach others? Don’t just think about it now is the time to act on it. If we haven’t learnt over the last year that time is short and we should grab our dreams and roll with them then we have learnt nothing!

 

If you have an idea I’m sure there are others out there who would like to join in and help you make that idea a reality. Reach out and find out who shares the same interests as you, they may have an idea that you would like to be involved in.

 

It doesn’t matter if your idea is big or small there are ways to help make your idea to become a reality. Share your idea with those around you and see if they would like to be part of your plan but if not, look a little further and I can help you with this.

Would you like some help in finding those residents in Rothwell that share your passions and dreams? Drop me an email or give me a call and I will do my very best to connect you with others who have a common interest.

New friends are waiting and you will have walked past them in the supermarket, they probably live in the next street!

Contact:

To get in touch, please email Sarah Hart, our Rothwell Assets Based Community Development Officer / Nidderdale Community Led Housing Officer on: sarah.hart@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.

Volunteering into employment – considerations for volunteer involving organisations

, ,

When thinking about volunteering, one of the benefits we often hear talked about is the skills and experience it offers up for employment.
This was the focus of our recent round of Volunteer Co-ordinators Network meetings, where we explored the support for volunteers who are seeking employment.

How volunteering can help

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the Government’s economic watchdog, predicts that by the middle of 201 UK unemployment will reach 2.2 million, which is 6.5% of the working-age population. We used this statistic to discussthe potential for organisations to reach out to and involve people who are job seeking as volunteers.

Several studies, including the most recent UK Civil Society Almanac, have shown that involvement in

volunteering offers a huge number of potential benefits.

For individuals who are unemployed, we heard how volunteering can:

  • offer an opportunity for an individual to enhance personal skillsets, attitudes and knowledge
  • counteract some of the potential impacts unemployment can have on physical and mental wellbeing, self-confidence, personal resilience and loss of routine
  • create an opportunity to do something different and try something new
  • offer potential access to paid work. I started my career working in the voluntary sector as a volunteer during a period of unemployment, and am aware of many others who started their journey in the same way
  • increase the diversity and number of volunteers within an organisation.

How organisations can support people into volunteering

For organisations thinking of involving job seeking volunteers, or developing a volunteering programme specifically to help people who are unemployed, there were suggestions for areas to consider.

 

  • Review existing or develop new roles: offering access to taster sessions, training, references and out of pocket expenses can help reduce both real and perceived barriers and encourage people to consider the potential of a role.
  • Look at advert language and where roles are profiled: placing adverts on job sites including Indeed, Total Jobs and Linked In, can help to raise awareness of opportunities. Online job fairs and events also offer the potential to share films showcasing the potential of volunteering.
  • Consider motivation and aspirations: people volunteer (and don’t volunteer) for many different reasons. Knowing these reasons can lead to a more fulfilling volunteer experience for both an individual and an organisation.
  • Be open to offers: people may come forward offering specific time and availability. Being able to accommodate people looking for a more flexible approach offers lots of potential both for you and them.
  • Consider the individual : wherever possible, it’s important to consider a person as an individual, focusing on what someone can do and not what they can’t do.  This can be particularly important for someone who has an underlying health condition or caring responsibilities.

How to help job seeking volunteers into employment

As a volunteer involving organisation, there are many ways you can encourage and support your volunteers moving into employment.

  • Provide regular feedback: this can make a real difference and show someone the impact of their volunteering.
  • Offer to support with CV development, interview skills, training: whilst others may be offering tailored support in these areas, you may be able to offer a different perspective and add some value.
  • Identify and work in partnership with other agencies working with an individual: if possible, try to find out who else is supporting an individual as part of your application process. With appropriate permissions in place, you may like to contact other agencies to share what support you and they are offering to share ideas and avoid duplication.
  • Make sure an individual has told the Job Centre or benefits office about their volunteering: it can be helpful to write a letter for someone to take to their job coach confirming all the details of their volunteering and for this to be updated if there are any changes in their volunteering.
  • Keep up to date with information about volunteering and benefit rules: there are current and further details on the government website. Most benefits allow people to volunteer, but there are some rules, particularly for people claiming Employment Support Allowance, that it is good to be aware of.
  • Be flexible: under some benefits an individual might need to attend a job interview with two days’ notice, start work within a week or need to rearrange or give up their volunteering to start a job. Being aware of this at the outset can help avoid misunderstandings.
  • Increase awareness of organisations and agencies: there are a number of organisations across North Yorkshire currently supporting people who are job seeking into volunteering and work placements, training and employment. These include local Job Centres and the Action Towards Inclusion Project.  It’s worthwhile contacting your local organisations to make sure they know about your offer and volunteer opportunities.
  • Be realistic: the potential of volunteering in helping someone return to work is dependent not only on skills and knowledge, but also on a lot of factors beyond an individual or organisations control, and importantly, beyond the influence of volunteering.

The voluntary sector has already made a huge difference to people during Covid 19. Proactively reaching out to people who are unemployed and showcasing the potential of volunteering is another opportunity to make a real difference.

Find out more

If you would like any further information please get in touch with us at info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk or phone 01904 704177.

Copies of the presentation materials and case studies shared by Action Towards Inclusion and the Job Centre at the recent meetings are available on our Community Support North Yorkshire  website.

If you are a volunteer co-ordinator in North Yorkshire and would like to join us to:

  • meet with others in a similar role
  • access resources and training
  • get support with your work
  • share ideas and best practice

then keep an eye out for our county-wide Volunteer Co-ordinator meetings. We would love to welcome you to one of our future meetings.

All good things come to an end… A goodbye to our Chief Executive

, ,

Chair of trustees, David Sharp, shares our goodbye to our long-standing Chief Executive Leah Swain.

All good things come to an end. A phrase which I’m sure is used too often and out of context, but when I say this in terms of the departure of Leah Swain as Chief Executive of Community First Yorkshire, I think I have it right.

Leah is moving on to, in her words, her dream job. She is to be the Chief Executive of The Sirius Minerals Foundation and I wish her well in the new role.

I’ve known Leah for almost 10 years, initially as a colleague in the voluntary sector when she worked for Rural Action Yorkshire when we began the journey to create better partnerships across the county, along with North Yorkshire Sport and Rural Arts.

I then had the fortune of working more closely with her as Chair of The North Yorkshire and York Forum when we merged with Rural Action Yorkshire to form Community First Yorkshire. She took on the Chief Executive role and I took on the Chair’s role.

In that time Leah has done some brave, innovative and exceptional things. Pulling two organisations together is a challenge in itself but to then have to tender and begin a new contract at the same time really would challenge the best of us, but Leah just seemed to take it in her stride. Then there are the projects, funding and advocacy work Community First Yorkshire has been doing over the past few years. I certainly won’t forget the achievement of bringing in over £1 million from the Army Covenant Fund for the Aged Veterans programme. This had over 15 partners all doing different things to meet the needs of our aged veterans, and from the stories I heard at the time, it was not only appreciated but greatly loved as well.

As a result of work led by Leah, better representation is now standard at North Yorkshire County Council, improvements to rural communities continue to be made, better networking and partnerships are in place across the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector and so on – I could go on and on!

Her legacy is a well-respected, sustainable, well-resourced organisation with amazing staff all working towards the aim of creating inclusive, pro-active and resilient communities across Yorkshire.

So, from me personally but also the Board, thank you Leah for everything you achieved at Community First Yorkshire and we wish you well in your new role – they are incredibly lucky to have you.

A year in a pandemic by Miranda Foster

, ,

 23 March 2020 -23 March 2021

It has been over a year since I was last in Rothwell and it has been hard not to go and drink coffee in my favourite cafes or wonder around the beautiful Springhead Park with my pooch. I’m looking forward to being able to meet with some of the lovely residents, to catch up with everyone while we have been going through a truly remarkable year.

Coronavirus – a timeline

Lock down hits 23 March 2020. Nowhere is safe to go, nobody is to be seen face to face. Hugs are not to be had! Our relatives told to shield. Frightened is the feeling of most. Isolation from all the people we hold dear.

April 2020 – the world of zoom comes alive, a platform never heard of before for most people becomes our lifeline to the outside world. The chance to see those friendly faces from all around the country, to communicate and be in this together. Solidarity is everywhere, we are all in this together.

May 2020 – The reality of lockdown is getting harder but there is light, hope, and being able to go out again more than once a day. The days are longer and brighter and there is optimism in the air.

June 2020– finally able to see family even if it is only in the garden. My thoughts put out there for all to see and hear. (see blog)

July 2020 – restaurants and pubs reopen but face masks are to be worn. The new fashion accessory that MUST be worn but this gives us the chance to be out and about with friends and family. The feeling of freedom. Seeing each other in the flesh rather than on a screen, still no hugs!

August 2020– we eat out to help out. First time in a restaurant in six months, not having to cook and do the washing up is bliss. A conversation over the dining table and to feel the energy from each other; not to have that awkward time at the end of a zoom call where no one knows how to finish the conversation.

September 2020 – all kids go back to school, parents all over the country are praying that it lasts but struggle to let their little cherubs out in to the big bad dangerous world. I get to travel to see my mum but still no hugs.

October 2020 – things take a turn for the worse; there is concern again for all. We all look back to the beginning of the year, what is in store for us this time? A sense of dread.

November 2020 – another lockdown but for just a month, we can do this again. Zoom fatigue is now spoken about on a regular basis but we can still see your face and share our thoughts and feelings. Talking to each other is important and that fighting spirit kicks in again, still no hugs!

December 2020 – Christmas devastation, celebrations via screens. The madness and the chaos of the festive season is replaced with quiet and reflection. We find new ways to celebrate and some we quite enjoy, is this the start of new traditions for some?

January 2021 – yet another lockdown, the despair of how long is this going to last?

February 2021 – so much harder during winter months, the short days, darker evenings, and the colder months make this extremely difficult. The feelings of isolation and loneliness seem worse than ever.

March 2021 – the roadmap is announced to get us out and about again, 4 months is the plan.

March 23 – one year on, lock down is still in place but hope is on the horizon with the vaccine program rolling out at a fast pace. Children are now back in school and everywhere is preparing to open their doors again. We look forward not back and optimism is the best feeling ever.
All through this year, we have listened to the stories some good but some bad. The communities have pulled together and made some incredible moments. Our neighbours have become our friends and allies, the go to people in the street, and over the fence they have listened and talked us through the most strangest of years.

What has been learnt? Well I can only speak for myself. I have learnt that we all have a story to tell, we have all made memories that will last a lifetime, connectivity is key and we have (well most of us!) learnt how to use zoom! Fingers crossed come June we can hug again!

Contact:

To get in touch, please email Sarah Hart, our Rothwell Assets Based Community Development Officer / Nidderdale Community Led Housing Officer on: sarah.hart@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.

 

Combatting loneliness through volunteering

, ,

Research by both the What Works Centre for Wellbeing and NVCO has shown that volunteering in itself is associated with enhanced wellbeing, not only for individual volunteers but also for communities as a whole. While the simple act of volunteering can be beneficial, what is perhaps more important is that the act of volunteering is rarely done in isolation and most volunteering roles involve contact with others to a greater or lesser extent. Clearly, some roles may have lots of opportunity for contact with others, but the fact remains that, whether volunteering for a befriending service or for a beach clean, it can provide a sense of purpose, broaden our horizons and give us a feeling of connection to a wider group of like-minded individuals.

I recently had at the privilege of speaking to three Marie Curie volunteers about how their volunteering roles as Helper Volunteers have helped to combat loneliness, not only in their service users lives but also in their own lives. The overwhelming message was this: volunteering has enormous benefits for both the volunteer and, in their case, the service user in combatting loneliness. I was struck by their sense of commitment and passion too, during what has been a very difficult period for all volunteers and it reminded me of the invaluable roles our volunteers have within our communities and voluntary sector organisations.

So, grab yourself a coffee and a nice comfy chair and listen to a recorded podcast of the conversation. If your time is limited, we have some short snippets of the podcast below. Perhaps it will inspire you to volunteer within your own community to create connections and combat loneliness?  You can listen to all the podcasts on our ‘Volunteering and loneliness‘ web page.

by Colleen Allwood, development officer at Community First Yorkshire

Combatting loneliness through volunteering

,

Research by both the What Works Centre for Wellbeing and NVCO has shown that volunteering in itself is associated with enhanced wellbeing, not only for individual volunteers but also for communities as a whole. While the simple act of volunteering can be beneficial, what is perhaps more important is that the act of volunteering is rarely done in isolation and most volunteering roles involve contact with others to a greater or lesser extent. Clearly, some roles may have lots of opportunity for contact with others, but the fact remains that, whether volunteering for a befriending service or for a beach clean, it can provide a sense of purpose, broaden our horizons and give us a feeling of connection to a wider group of like-minded individuals.

I recently had at the privilege of speaking to three Marie Curie volunteers about how their volunteering roles as Helper Volunteers have helped to combat loneliness, not only in their service users lives but also in their own lives. The overwhelming message was this: volunteering has enormous benefits for both the volunteer and, in their case, the service user in combatting loneliness. I was struck by their sense of commitment and passion too, during what has been a very difficult period for all volunteers and it reminded me of the invaluable roles our volunteers have within our communities and voluntary sector organisations.

So, grab yourself a coffee and a nice comfy chair and listen to a recorded podcast of the conversation. If your time is limited, we have some short snippets of the podcast below. Perhaps it will inspire you to volunteer within your own community to create connections and combat loneliness?  You can listen to all the podcasts on our ‘Volunteering and loneliness‘ web page.

by Colleen Allwood, Development Officer at Community First Yorkshire.

Village Halls – the unsung heroes

, ,

To celebrate Village Halls Week 2021, our Chair of Trustees, David Sharp, tells us about the importance and relevance of village halls and why they deserve such celebration.

So we all know where our local village hall or community building is don’t we!

For those of you that do and use them on a regular basis, you know their importance, the value they bring and the sense of community they create.

For those of you that don’t, perhaps by reading this you will go out, when lockdown allows, and find out what’s going on and hopefully get involved.

Village halls have been providing amazing community based services and support for over 100 years. The diversity of activities that take part in village halls is astounding, from Scouts and Guides, WI, lunch clubs, Weight Watchers, bridge clubs, parties, national celebrations and the list goes on. They provide the location for the weird, wonderful and exceptional as well as the essential to take place in rural localities.

The lifeline that the different activities create for the vulnerable, lonely and isolated, as well as the community spirt generated through regularly meeting up to participate in your favourite activity, cannot be underestimated.

Clearly the government 100 years ago saw the benefits and as such created an initiative to support the rural communities following the Great War. This helped set up the first Rural Community Council in Oxfordshire. Yorkshire wasn’t slow to take this initiative up and created its own in 1928. During the next few years, hundreds of village halls were built, refurbished and brought back to life. Today there are over 600 that are over 100 years old. How many other local businesses can say they are over 100 years old – not that many!

They have been tested, the War to follow the Great War, apparently there was a 60’s if anyone can remember it, oil crisis in the 70’s, Yuppies in the 80’s, Brit pop in the 90’s, War on Terror in the 00’s and now Brexit and a global pandemic.

So that tells me that not only are they really needed but also incredibly resilient. That is down to the amazing volunteers involved in village halls, giving thousands of hours of time to make sure that Granny Sharp has everything she needs for her 90th birthday party to sweeping the floor so the ballroom dancing class can glide effortlessly across the polished floor.

In Yorkshire we have over 900 village halls which are being looked after by volunteers and Village Hall Week is all about celebrating them. So my thanks to each and every one of you involved in village halls, be that staff, volunteers or patrons. Your commitment, passion and enthusiasm for making your village hall the hub of your community is greatly appreciated and although we only have Village Hall Week once a year, every time the doors open should be celebrated because of the work needed to do just that.

To find out what’s happening during Village Halls Week 2021 visit the ACRE website.

If you would like to write a blog about your village hall, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you!

Find out what support we can offer village halls and community buildings here.

 

A magical Christmas evening organised

, ,

By Becci Barker

A Facebook message for help brought this wonderful idea to my attention.

The thought of offering a little help to make Becci achieve her goal to provide the best Christmas for the residents that she works with after a really tough year was so inspiring. Becci is one of the world’s biggest givers, she does so much for others without thinking of the hard work that it entails, she goes ahead and makes the time to achieve the best for all.

Becci is one of Rothwell’s superstars.

Can you tell us about you and the place where you work?

I work in Day services for Aspire Community Benefit Society (CBS) but I have been based in the supported living across the road, which is also an Aspire CBS building. I have been delivering activities three days a week in the supported living and then two days a week from home, working behind the scenes on the online timetable.

I provide one musical theatre class a week and one music and exercise class, both lasting around 40-50 minutes. The musical theatre class is learning a song, dance or a song and dance routine. I also host Rock and Roll bingo once a week via Zoom. We have 3 different sets, musicals, Disney and TV we also have a Christmas one which we play throughout the whole of December. This and lots more are available on our online timetable on the website, www.aspirecbs.org.uk.

What made you decide to do this magical Christmas evening?

Due to Covid and lockdown, the residents who live at Holmsley, or in any of our supported living services are not allowed to go to their family to visit at Christmas. This is due to people being high risk and we’re following the government guidelines to ensure everyone keeps safe and well. The guys who live here have been very resilient during the pandemic and have only been allowed to go out for local walks apart from the socially distanced, Covid safe activities that I have been providing throughout.

I decided I wanted to bring a little bit of Christmas magic to them, by lighting up their communal garden. I thought, let’s make this Christmas the best one they have ever had due to the fact that they can’t go and see their families.

Throughout the pandemic, the guys who live here don’t usually spend a lot of time together as they all do different things in their ‘normal weeks’ and they have become a proper family and we have all learned new things about each other that we didn’t know.

You put a post out for the people in Rothwell to help, did they respond and in what way?

I decided to put a post on my personal Facebook (I run one for work and I run the main Aspire CBS Facebook page along with other staff). This was just to see if anyone local could help me out and very kindly lend us any kind of Christmas lights for one evening. The response blew me away. Many people shared the post for me to try to see what they could do to help. We had light-up reindeers, trains, presents and even an 8ft light up inflatable Homer Simpson Santa! We also had donated to us a Santa’s sleigh rope light, and lots of other rope lights from some friends, which we used to decorate our homemade Santa’s grotto! Then of course the gift card from you for The Range, with which we purchased three light up trees and the two snowmen and the slow cooker for hot chocolate on the night.

How did you manage to organise the evening and keep it a surprise?

I explained to the residents that we were going to have socially distanced music, food and drink in the garden on 11 December but there were some added surprises. I explained that they were not to come outside until a member of the team who was on shift that night came to get them otherwise it would spoil the surprise for them. I hoped that they would listen and they did it worked! We all had hotdogs and chips indoors for tea and then everyone sat out socially distanced and we did a 3,2,1 and switched the lights on and music. We had cake, snowballs and slow cooker hot chocolate!

What did the residents think of the evening? Do you have any quotes from them?

Everyone loved it! We had people who don’t usually join in with activities who came and stayed out for the whole 2 & ½ hours that we were outside, dancing, cake, snowballs, Santa.

 

Sara: “Thank you for tonight it was fabulous”
Simon: “We have Christmas lights, I love it!”
Daryl: “It’s Santa!”
Kev: “I’m Happy now!”

The pictures and video say it all I think. Everyone was so happy and full of joy and they all felt the Christmas Spirit.

I know when I watched the video and looked at the pictures it put a smile on my face. How did you feel before the event, during and after? Would you do it again?

Incredible. It took a lot of organising as I did all the food and drink, the music, the lights, collecting the lights, sorting out costumes for some of the residents (the Christmas Tree outfit Heather is wearing I made myself by hand!) getting staffs costumes sorted, slow cookers and the rest!

I am incredibly thankful to Steph and Lisa from the team as they were Santa and his Elf and I was the Christmas Fairy all in our PPE of course, even Santa had his mask on under his beard! Also, a thank you to Jane and Margaret who were on that night and cooked all the food! Lauren for baking brownies and flapjacks and Ian for supporting all the customers making sure they were seated safely and separately.

Due to good organisational skills, the night went as smoothly as it could’ve done and the answer is YES 100% I would do it again! To see the smiles and joy it brought to people was worth every single second of organising. Same time next year?

Contact:

To get in touch, please email Sarah Hart, our Rothwell Assets Based Community Development Officer / Nidderdale Community Led Housing Officer on: sarah.hart@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk.

Stand up to Youth Loneliness

, ,

Stereotypically, when we are asked to consider loneliness we picture someone who is elderly, perhaps frail, trapped in their home and struggling to connect with others in the wider world. But loneliness is not just something which affects the elderly. Recent research by the Red Cross and Co-Op Foundation has shown that young people are feeling increasingly lonely and socially isolated in society.

Youth loneliness can be stigmatising, hidden and disregarded; after all, young people are often thought to be constantly in contact with their peers on their phones and through social media. But loneliness is not about how many people we have around us. Loneliness occurs when there is a gap between our actual and desired social relationships; when the quality or quantity of these relationships does not meet our expectations. For young people, this might occur for a variety of reasons including poor self-image, bullying, disability or caring responsibilities and can leave a lasting impact well into adulthood.

We have developed a youth campaign – Stand up to Youth Loneliness – to tackle the stigma around loneliness in young people across North Yorkshire and gives them a voice to talk about it.

As part of the campaign development, we held workshops with young people across North Yorkshire. We asked them what causes their feelings of loneliness. They gave us a range of responses including:

  • ‘The lack of public transport in my area means that I’m physically not able to go anywhere or do anything’
  • ‘Social media can also make you feel lonely, especially if people don’t answer straight away and you can see that they have read your message. Some people also don’t have social media and this is harder because you can’t get in touch with people.’
  • ‘I don’t feel like I fit in. Sometimes if I‘m by myself people will make comments. It’s hard not being understood by people your age or by older people like your parents’

Our youth loneliness campaign contains a range of resources including:

  • Posters for schools, organisations and youth groups,
  • A leaflet for young people
  • Resources for professionals
  • A page on The Go-To, a website dedicated to supporting young people with mental health and other issues

All our resources are available to download online or as hard copies here. Please get in touch via info@communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk to ask for hard copies to be sent to you.

 

Laura Thomas, Project Manager at Community First Yorkshire

Ways for men to improve mental well-being in the countryside

, ,

For men, keeping mentally healthy is not always easy, wherever we live. However, living remotely in a rural area can make things more difficult.

This note is based on the five ways to well-being and CHIME aims to give some ideas about keeping mentally fit and healthy.

Conversations

Engaging in conversation with people in a rural area is not always easy but spend time to speak to and listen to what others have to say.

  • Have a conversation with a delivery or tradesperson ask them about their work.
  • Start a conversation with people when you fill up with fuel or visit a shop.
  • Engage walkers in a conversation and ask them about what they enjoy about your area.
  • Tell your family something about your day and ask them about theirs.
  • Connect with others at community events for example at the village hall, cricket club, or church.
Be active

Being active helps us all feel good about ourselves but it doesn’t have to be a sweaty session at a gym discover a physical activity that you enjoy and suits your level of fitness perhaps:

  • Regularly walking a short distance in the open air.
  • Gardening.
  • Getting a bike for short or long rides.
  • Joining a fitness class, a village sports club, or a team.
Take notice of things around you

Being aware of the world around us and noting what we feel, helps us appreciate what matters to us, savour the moment when:

  • Eating a meal.
  • Enjoying the view and signs of activity in the countryside.
  • Listening to the birds sing, sheep bleat, or the noises made by other animals.
  • Noticing the colours and smells of autumn, the frost and snow of winter, the green shoots of spring, lambs in the field and sent of blossom, the warm summer sun, and the smell of new-mown hay.
Keep learning

Learning new things helps our confidence and is fun, be aspirational have some goals of what you want to achieve perhaps:

  • Find out about plants for a garden or crops to grow.
  • Learn about different pets or animals to keep.
  • Try cooking a new recipe.
  • Set a challenge you will enjoy achieving.
  • Attend an evening class or follow an online course.
Giving

Giving to others need not be hard it can be as simple as:

  • Think of complimenting someone for what they have done.
  • Smiling at a stranger or purposely saying ‘have a nice day’.
  • Carry out small acts of kindness for neighbours.
  • Helping at a village event or looking after a community building or area.

Above all as men we should try to connect with others, dream, find our identity and meaning from what we see and do. Take control and make a difference in some small way for yourself others or the place and community where you live.

Based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing and CHIME.