15/06/2012
Wellbeing: Noun: The state of being comfortable, healthy, happy and contented.
The Kent Wellbeing Symposium, the first of its kind in Kent is shaping up to be an event not to be missed.
Experts in mental health, nutrition, exercise, leadership, motivation, staff rewards and supporting employees will come together under the Detling Showground roof on 3rd October.
Speakers, workshops and demonstrations will all be offered at the event, being put together by Ben McGannan, director of Kent-based Water Wellbeing.
The day will begin with an introduction from Dame Carol Black, the government’s expert and advisor on health and wellbeing. She will be talking about the Workplace Wellbeing Charter, a voluntary scheme to help employers demonstrate their commitment to the health and wellbeing of their workforce and letting delegates know how to get involved and what it offers. Employment has been well documented to have a positive impact on health and wellbeing and by keeping staff happy and motivated, staff turnover is reduced, sickness lowered and productivity boosted.
Everything you need to know about keeping employees motivated, spotting health problems, preventing deterioration and offering support in aspects of employees’ lives away from work will be offered at the Symposium.
Mr McGannan hopes that every delegate will come away from the Symposium armed with simple yet hugely beneficial ideas to spot problems with their workforce, large or small, be able to work with employees to resolve them and prevent health problems which can affect their ability to work.
MENTAL HEALTH: Mental Health will be addressed by Mindful Employer, an organisation run by the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership. The lottery-funded initiative is aimed at increasing awareness of mental health at work and providing support for businesses in recruiting and retaining staff. Stress, depression and anxiety are estimated to be the cause of more working days lost than any other work-related illness. Sick pay reduces profits, covering absent workers adds more pressure and loss of valued and talented people costs more than money. Find out how, as an employer, you can avoid these issues within your organisation.
LOCAL COUNCILS: A representative from KCC Gateways will be letting people know more about the nine council Gateways around Kent, each offering access to public services. People can come into the Gateways to find out information from their local council, access all council services and seek help on a range of areas with assistance from an advisor who can signpost them to council services and the voluntary sector. People can come in to find out about building regulations, search for jobs on the computers for free, parking permits and at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Gateways, make use of the Wellpoint machines to do a quick health MOT to check weight, hydration quota, BMI (body mass index), body fat content, heart rate and blood pressure. There are also self-help kiosks to pay council bills.
SCHOOL STAFF: Steve Wood and Janice Judge from Head Works will give information to delegates on the one-day workshop-based programme he runs for senior school staff. It covers technical training, wellbeing, recruiting the right staff and practical strategies for reducing stress levels. The media reports more and more how much pressure teachers are under to perform and meet targets, whilst having more and more paperwork to complete. Stress can breed under these circumstances but Steve will guide you through how to avoid it, what to do to help your staff and work towards sustaining their health and wellbeing.
MOTIVATION: Simon Thorpe from Expressions and Grant Payne from Life Partnership will be focussing on unlocking potential and motivation for success. Simon has worked with government agencies, in commerce, health, sports, fitness and rehabilitation at regional, national and international levels. Using motivational techniques and cognitive coaching practice, he can inspire his audience to improve their performance by igniting the potential within. With a competitive athletics background, Simon draws on his own unlocked potential and shares how to use that with others.
Grant Payne, a former professional sportsman, personal trainer and corporate presenter, has spent the past 15 years developing coaching and motivational approaches that specifically enhance people’s need to fully understand what success means. These approaches have assisted individuals in sport, personal and professional performances.
WORKSHOPS: In addition to the speakers, there will also be workshops in the interactive zones including a live cooking demonstration to bring out the kid in each of us. Little Stirrers in Sevenoaks, specialises in cookery for children and their business philosophy is all around the importance of introducing young children to the wonders of cooking in a fun and enjoyable environment, offering workshops and cookery clubs. The company also offers corporate team-building workshops.
Following on with food, Katie Bennett from KB Nutrition will be delivering a seminar on marrying food into a healthy lifestyle for work. Her company offers workshops and talks to a range of community groups of all ages but she also goes into workplaces to advises on how to maximise the healthy potential from lunch at work. Her ‘Eat Well at Work’ lunchtime talk gives information about what to eat at work to keep energy levels balanced throughout the day. Most employees will eat at least one meal at work so helping them to make the best choices for this energy-boosting opportunity could have positive knock-on effects.
PARTNERSHIP WORKING: Caroline McBride is Head of Community Development at Golding Homes, Maidstone’s largest social landlord with 6,500 owned and managed properties in the Maidstone and Tonbridge and Malling boroughs. She will host a workshop at the Symposium looking at the benefits of working more effectively, sharing knowledge and maximising resources collaboratively. Delegates will join in discussions about the benefits and challenges of partnership working and find out about successful projects that have been delivered through this approach.
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Notes to editors:
The Kent Wellbeing Symposium is being held on Wednesday 3 October at the Kent Event Centre, Kent County Showground, Detling, Maidstone, Kent.
For more information and updates on the event, log onto: www.kentwellbeingsymposium.co.uk Tickets can be booked via the website or by calling 01622 684407.
For more information on Ben McGannan and his company, log onto: www.waterwellbeing.co.uk. From here, you can download the Wellbeing Directory, containing information on all aspects of the business.
Journalists are encouraged to join us for the event. For press passes to the event, or for any other press inquiry, please contact Wellbeing’s press officers on 01622 684407.
Media Contacts:
Sarah Hawes - Pillory Barn - 01622 684407 - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Rachael Webb - Pillory Barn - 01622 684407 - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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