Developing a Healthy Mind

The Five Ways to Wellbeing (devised by the New Economics Foundation) is a very simple practical framework which addresses five key areas of life which have been demonstrated to promote positive mental health and wellbeing. We have run this as a 5-week course in previous years and are now adapting it to offer an introductory workshop to consider the five themes of learning, connecting, keeping active, giving and taking notice, and how we might implement these in our everyday lives and habits.

Following this, we will offer a series of standalone sessions and workshops which focus on one or more of these themes. These may be sessions run by the Recovery in Mind team, or other partner organisations such as Sport in Mind, The Volunteer Centre or the Watermill Theatre, and are an excellent opportunity to access some of our great local community resources.

These sessions will be open to all students who have attended either the introductory workshop or our previous 5-week course. We have found the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ to be a very useful follow-up to ‘Welcome to Recovery’. It may also be helpful for students who wish to revisit the concept and refresh or develop their wellbeing practice further.

You are welcome to book on to as few or as many of these follow-on sessions as you like, to suit your own needs. We hope to run a variety of these ‘linked workshops’ at different times throughout the year. They will be practical and fun, often involving getting ‘out and about’ in accessible local venues.

We look forward to you joining us on our Five Ways to Wellbeing journey!

Course date:  Thursday 19th March

Timing:  10am - 12 noon

Venue: Broadway House

As part of our ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing” programme we are running a session to consider the importance of ‘giving’ on Thursday 26th March at 10.00am-12.00pm.  Chris Read from the Volunteer Centre will talk about the many and varied volunteering opportunities in the local community.  There will be space to explore the benefits of volunteering as well as addressing any questions or concerns you may have.

This is an ideal opportunity for anyone considering or wanting to find out more about volunteering.  Or, for anyone wishing to consider the value of giving in a more general sense.

Ideally, students will have attended the introductory Five Ways to Wellbeing Workshop on the 19th March, or else will have attended a previous Five Ways to Wellbeing course.

Join Gillian and Cath at the library to enjoy reading together. The aim is to enjoy reading and listening to reading, a variety of texts will be explored during this 6-week course. No prior reading is required, just sit back, enjoy the literature by chatting about it and perhaps take a turn at reading aloud if you would like to.  New material will be used for each course.

A comment from a previous attendee. “ This is nothing like being at school!”

And it isn’t a book group either. This is a unique shared reading experience: come along and give it a go!

Start Date:  Tuesday 14th April 10:30am - 12 noon

Subsequent dates: Tuesday's 21st, 28th April and 5th, 12th, 19th May

Location: Carnegie Room at the Library weeks 1, 2, 4 & 5 (28th April and 19th May at Broadway House)

As part of our ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ programme, we have the opportunity to visit the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor on Thursday 16th April at 10:30am-12.30pm.  We will be given a tour of the theatre followed by a workshop of interactive games, all designed to help us 'connect' with one another in new and different ways.  This isn’t about drama – it’s about trying something new together and having fun in a friendly, supportive environment.

The Watermill Theatre is a wonderful local resource and offers other opportunities to connect together which we’ll find out about too at the workshop.

Ideally, students will have attended the ‘Introduction to Five Ways to Wellbeing’ workshop, or else will have attended the previous Five Ways to Wellbeing course.  If you’re unsure or have any queries, please get in touch.

As part of our 10 year celebrations we are working towards the publication of our ‘Journal of Hope’.  One of the chapters in the book will be ‘Hopeful Images’.  For example some find a swan swimming serenely on the canal ‘hopeful’ as we can envisage his feet paddling fast under the water to keep going despite of the underwater currents.  These images provoke thoughts or ideas that can provide hope to make us consider things in an alternative way.  They can inspire us to make changes, challenge ourselves or simply ‘keep paddling through life’.  So we are running a workshop taking photos/images in and around Newbury town centre to capture them (maybe add a few words or explanation about why you took the photo and what it means to you personally) then we will all choose our favourite for inclusion into the Recovery in Mind ‘Journal of Hope’.  Please come and be part of this unique and shared opportunity.  Working individually but sharing our images in the book as a group  is proof that our collective experiences of Recovery are both meaningful and valid.  Sometimes words are not enough to express the wonder of ‘HOPE’.

Date:  Tuesday 21st April, 1:30pm - 3:30pm

Venue: Broadway House, Newbury

Keeping active is one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, and there are lots of opportunities within West Berkshire to support you in doing this. The Council run a number of wellbeing walks in different accessible locations which are free to attend. Recovery in Mind are going to join one of their walks on Thursday 23^rd April, and you are welcome to join us!

The walk starts and finishes at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, and is approximately one hour’s duration. Please wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. The terrain is a little uphill in places.

The group stop at the Watermill Theatre for teas and coffees after the walk, so please bring money for refreshments if you would like.

We will meet in the overflow car park at the Watermill Theatre at 10.30am and anticipate finishing (following refreshments) by 12.30pm.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Date:  Thursday 23rd April, 10:30am - 12:30pm

Venue: Overflow car park at the Watermill Theatre, Bagnor

Sleeping well can make a huge difference to how one deals with other mental health challenges. This workshop is designed to help you to audit your sleeping and work out ways to improve  what you’re doing and your bedtime routine. Come prepared for discussions and with pen and paper to write down ideas and make notes for yourself on how to improve your sleeping.

Date:  Wednesday 13th May

Time:  2pm - 4pm

Venue: Broadway House, Newbury

A standalone workshop providing practical techniques and strategies to learn how to solve everyday problems.

Date:  Thursday 21st May

Time: 10am - 12:30pm

Venue: Broadway House, Newbury

As part of the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing' programme we are running a 'take notice' walk on Tuesday 30th June at 2pm-4pm at Snelsmore Common.

Enjoy a slow leisurely walk through nature, stopping regularly to be in the moment and take notice.  Please wear suitable footwear and dress for the weather of the day as the walk will take place whatever the weather.  At the end of the session we will reflect on the experience.

Ideally, students will have attended the introductory ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing' workshop, or else will have attended the previous Five Ways to Wellbeing course.