Health and Wellbeing Calendar

Mental Health Week

The benefits of good mental health care are clear – it improves people’s lives, increases their life chances and has a positive effect on families and communities.

However, one in four people will experience poor mental health during their lifetime, this very often has an impact on other areas of people’s health and wellbeing.

Mental Health Awareness week 2025 takes place during May (12-18 May), giving us an opportunity to shine a light on the importance of everyone’s mental health. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness week we have share a number of videos below that provide examples of how others support their mental health as well as tips and suggestions for you to consider.

Vex Kin (Mind Coach)

Vex King is a million-copy bestselling author and mind coach. He is the author of two #1 Sunday Times #1 bestsellers: ‘Good Vibes, Good Life’, which has been translated into 39 languages, and ‘Healing is the New High’. His third book, ‘Closer to Love’, debuted at #2 on the Sunday Times list.

Vex is a mind coach who came to fame on Instagram and is now much in demand as a writer and speaker. He had a difficult childhood but did well at school, then went on to take a degree in Business Information Systems.

After working as a Systems Analyst, he moved into music production where he worked with stars including Tinie Tempah, Wretch 32 and Big Narstie. His work brought him into contact with people who started asking him for life advice, including major sporting stars, and he gradually built up a life coaching / mind coaching business. On the back of this, he went online to share his ideas with the world and was astonished by the response. He is now leading a revolution for the next generation of spiritual seekers.

As a major voice in the world of personal development, Vex shares deep spiritual knowledge in a way that's easy to understand, with stories from his own life, great inspirational quotes and practical solutions.

If this video prompts a password please use VWBF23 

Ayo Sokale

BBC Bitesize science presenter Ayo Sokale possesses an array of talents and expertise, placing her at the cutting edge of the evolving scientific, environmental and media landscape.

Ayo is a chartered civil engineer and project manager for the Environment Agency in Eastern England and is a popular keynote speaker on the environment and sustainability. She is also a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) ambassador and mentor, encouraging others to take up careers in civil engineering.

In recent years, Ayo has felt more able to talk about being on the autism spectrum. She has a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome and is an empathetic and inspirational keynote speaker on neurodiversity, mental health challenges and how to overcome them.

If this video prompts a password please use VWBF23

Volunteering for Good Mental Health

This TED-talk style presentation explores the reasons volunteering numbers have fallen since the COVID pandemic – and how we can all help to reverse this decline while improving our own mental health and wellbeing.

 

Reducing the stigma of mental health difficulties

Natalie Kemp Clinical Psychologist and Founder CEO of in2gr8mentalhealth leads this session, looking at why there is so much shame and stigma for health and care staff asking for help.

Action for happiness (2020)

This session will give you an introduction to Action for Happiness and the 10 Keys to Happier Living. It will talk through ways to introduce these into your life to support your wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around you.

The power of being open about mental health at work

Rachel Randle shares her story.

Active April

Our Health and Wellbeing Calendar focuses on encouraging people to become more active during April. With lighter evenings and warmer weather, now is the perfect time to get more active, whether that is taking up running, joining a sports group or going for walks.

Action for Happiness has a daily challenge you can get involved with in the aim of encouraging people to become more active.

Mr Motivator

This month's video comes from Derrick Errol Evans, also known as Mr Motivator, who was born in Jamaica but has lived most of his life in the UK.

His big break came on the 23 August 1993. He was later credited with turning around the fortunes of the Breakfast Television Show GMTV.

Providing mass workouts for varying charities and schools – with his unique way of exercising – has meant that he is in great demand, which continues to lead to numerous television, film and radio appearances.

Mr Motivator Club
Mr Motivator Club is a free online health and wellbeing community designed to help people of all ages and abilities stay active, feel great, and improve their overall health, all from the comfort of their own home.

The club offers access to live and on-demand exercise sessions, tips and techniques, sensible eating recipes, and even bedtime stories. It’s perfect for those looking to move more, improve mobility, boost mental wellbeing, or stay motivated with fun and engaging workouts.

For more information, visit www.mrmotivator.com. 

If this video prompts a password please use VWBF22

International Women's Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) is marked annually on March 8. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people, it aims to:

• Celebrate women’s achievements
• Educate and awareness raise about women’s equality
• Call for positive change advancing women
• Lobby for accelerated gender parity
• Fundraise for female-focused charities

This year the theme for IWD is #AccelerateAction it is a worldwide call to acknowledge the strategies, resources and activity that positively impact women’s advancement, and to support and elevate their implementation.

Debra Searle

Debra Searle is a professional adventurer and serial entrepreneur. Her expeditions have taken her across the Atlantic, around Antarctica, up to the Arctic Circle and everywhere in between. She has also launched five companies, is a published author and has presented over 40 programmes for the BBC.

Debra first hit the headlines when she set out to row across the Atlantic with her husband. Unfortunately, he had to be rescued so Debra, a novice rower, continued alone without a support boat and rowed 3,000 miles from Tenerife to Barbados. It should have taken them six weeks, but Debra ended up spending three and a half months at sea alone, encountering 30-foot waves, sharks, and force-eight squalls in her 23-foot plywood boat. Since returning from this adventure, Debra has undertaken solo and team expeditions across the globe. She has also represented Great Britain at European and World Championship level in Dragon Boat Racing winning bronze, silver and gold medals.

Debra’s spirit of adventure gained her an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen and she was delighted to be appointed a Trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, spending a decade working alongside His Royal Highness Prince Philip and His Royal Highness Prince Edward. Debra has been appointed a Member of the Victorian Order (MVO) for her services to the Royal Family.

In 2022 Debra was ranked number three in the World’s Top 30 Motivational Speakers, after Simon Sinek and Tony Robbins, making her the highest ranking female motivational speaker in the world. The movie of Debra’s solo Atlantic row is currently in development in Hollywood.

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Time to Talk Day (Mental Health)

Time to Talk Day is held at the beginning of February every year by Rethink Mental Illness and Mind, delivered in partnership with Co-op. This year Time to Talk Day is on Thursday 6 February 2025. 

It is about helping people and communities to come together to have the nation’s biggest mental health conversation. It's a chance for all of us to be more open about our mental health and talk about how we really feel.

The resources below explore different techniques that can support your mental health.

Mindfulness and Frazzled — Ruby Wax

After three decades working on stage, television and radio, Ruby Wax has recently changed direction. The former entertainer is now an expert on psychology, human behaviour and communication. She is also one of the most sought after speakers on mental health and mindfulness.

Ruby Wax began her TV career writing and starring in 'Girls on Top' with French and Saunders and Tracey Ullman. Ruby went on to write and perform for both the BBC and Channel 4 for over 25 years in her own hugely popular television programmes including 'Don’t Miss Wax', 'Wax on Wheels', 'Hit and Run', 'The Full Wax', 'Hot Wax', and 'Ruby Wax with…' in which she performed memorable interviews with major celebrities such as Donald Trump, Imelda Marcos, Madonna, OJ Simpson, Goldie Hawn, Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller and many others. Among her many award-winning documentaries are 'Miami Memoirs', 'East Meets Wax', 'Ruby Takes a Trip', 'Class of ’69', 'Ruby Wax Meets' and 'Ruby’s American Pie'.

On stage, Ruby has been directed by Alan Rickman in her own one-woman shows.  These range from 'Wax Acts' and 'Stressed' in the late 1990’s through to the more recent 'Losing It', 'Sane New World' (directed by Thea Sharrock) and 'Frazzled' which she has taken all over the UK and Australia as well as to the United States, Cape Town and London’s West End.

Ruby has studied Psychotherapy and gained her Master’s degree in Mindfulness-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy from Oxford University. She is also a TedTalk Global speaker and awarded an OBE for her services to mental health.

Ruby’s books, 'How Do You Want Me?', 'Sane New World' and 'A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled' and have topped the Sunday Times Bestseller’s lists and been published all over the world. Ruby’s latest book How to be Human – The Manual was written with the help of a monk and a neuroscientist, the book asks the thorny question: in a world that is increasingly online and beholden to technology, what is it that makes us truly human?  We can’t stop the future from arriving, no matter what drugs we’re on. But even if nearly every part of us becomes robotic, we’ll still, fingers crossed, have our minds, which, hopefully, we’ll be able to use for things like compassion, rather than chasing what’s ‘better’ and if we can do that we’re on the yellow brick road to happiness. 'How to be Human' is the only manual you’ll need to help you upgrade your mind as much as you’ve upgraded your iPhone.

In 2016 Ruby received an OBE for her services to mental health.

To access Ruby's session, please use the password: Wellbeing21

SENDS 4 Dads: A Mental Health Journey

Paul Meadows, founder of SENDS 4 Dads, shares the story of his mental health journey and how he set up the support group for dads and male carers who have a child of any age with special educational needs and/or a disability, whether or not this has been diagnosed.

Dr Amir Khan

Dr Amir Khan is a full time NHS GP working in inner city Bradford, and resident GP on ITV Good Morning Britain and Lorraine.

Dr Amir’s passions outside of medicine include wildlife conservation and he is the first Ambassador for The National Wildlife Trusts and The Butterfly Conservation Society, working closely with them to ensure access to green spaces for inner city children and spreading the word on how being outside with nature is good for your health.

In this session, Dr Amir addresses a tough two and a half years and continuing challenges across the health and social care sector as we battle the repercussions of the pandemic. But while colleagues care for others, it is vital that they also care for themselves. Self-care does not need to be self indulgent; it should not be associated with guilt – it is something everyone needs to prioritise. Dr Amir will share his tips on how to put your wellbeing first (without the guilt) and simple every day strategies that can be incorporated into daily routines to connect everybody back with the wellbeing effects of nature, movement and nutrition.

This session is now available on demand. Please use the password: VWBF22

Dry January

Paul Merson is a former professional footballer with Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Walsall, playing for some of the game’s most well-known managers including George Graham, Bryan Robson, Graham Taylor, Harry Redknapp, Glenn Hoddle and Arsene Wenger.

The most successful part of his playing career was during his time at Arsenal where he won two Football League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. He was also capped 21 times by England, making his debut in 1991 against Germany and playing in both the 1992 European Championship and 1998 World Cup.

Paul lived life to the full during his football career, had highs and lows, good times and bad times – however, all the battles he faced on the pitch were nothing compared to those off it. His many achievements in the game were accomplished despite a long battle with alcohol, drug and gambling addictions.

When he retired from football Paul carved out a successful career in the media with Sky television as a pundit on the Soccer Saturday show and also has become a very popular after dinner speaker.

In 2019 while appearing on the documentary Harry's Heroes: The Full English, Paul opened up about how his gambling addiction had affected his life, and his continued struggles with the addiction. He received praise for his candid discussion of the topic. He has also spoken about how his drink, drug and gambling habits also fuelled his struggles with his mental health.

To view this video please use the password VWBF23