Merseyside
Mental Health Event Comes to Kirkdale
Leading North West housing association, Onward Homes, hosted an event last week for mental health awareness week, which aimed to raise awareness on supporting your mental health and eradicate any associated negative stigmas.
‘Mental Health Matters’ invited attendees to try their hand at a range of activities such as a taster session on meditation, breathwork and relaxation courtesy of the Wild Warrior Women, a yoga specialist in Liverpool. Along with chair-based football and games designed to test personal reflexes, responses and reaction.
A powerful speech was delivered by keynote speaker Alex Fishwick, who discussed his own mental health journey and pathway to overcoming drugs and alcohol dependency.
Customer, Eve Nieman, Garston said: “It’s been great meeting others today. I enjoyed the meditation and taking time out, it’s something that I can take away and do myself”.
Discussing the event, Lisa Dawson, Supported Housing Manager at Onward, said: “The health and wellbeing of our Supported Housing customers is very important to us, so we wanted to do something to bring people together in line with this year’s national Mental Health campaign theme ‘Movement’. It was fantastic to see a great turnout on the day, with many customers trying their hand at the games and activities on offer and actively engaging in Alex’s talk. Customers and colleagues alike left with a smile on their faces”
Andrew Brown, Director of Housing and Specialist Living, said: “It was great to see so many of our support housing customers taking part in the event. We had a lot of positive feedback, and this is something we will definitely do again in the future”.
Those in attendance were entered into a free prize draw, and got to take home a free goodie bag, which included healthy snacks and refreshments, along with information on local support services.
You can view the event photos and video montage below: