THE MAYOR of Rugby is encouraging residents to improve their mental health, after committing to do so himself during a visit to Coventry and Warwickshire Mind.
Coun Tom Mahoney signed a pledge card during a visit to the charity’s Wellbeing Hub in Cromwell Road.
He met staff and clients during his visit to the charity – one of his two adopted charities for his mayoral year.
He made his pledge as part of the Five Ways to Wellbeing campaign, a Public Health Warwickshire initiative which draws on evidence developed by the New Economics Foundation as proven to improve wellbeing.
The Five Ways to Wellbeing cover five categories: Connect, Keep Learning, Be Active, Give and Take Notice.
The Mayor pledged to focus on two areas of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, promising to keep learning more about events in Northern Ireland where he served in the 70s during the conflict, and to take more notice of his surroundings when out and about.
He encourages everyone to make their own mental wellbeing pledge.
He said: “As Mayor, I like to think I already cover many of the categories in the course of my work, but have chosen two areas specifically and would urge everyone to incorporate at least one element of the Five Ways to Wellbeing into their lives.
“Even if you think you don’t have a mental health issue, the Five Ways to Wellbeing are a simple way to improve wellbeing and resilience. Anyone can benefit.”
The Five Ways to Wellbeing are promoted by Coventry and Warwickshire Mind as part of Wellbeing for Warwickshire, a mental health service run in partnership with Springfield Mind and commissioned by Public Health Warwickshire.
Fiona Palmer, a service manager at Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, said: “The Mayor of Rugby is a valued supporter of our charity and it was a pleasure to welcome him into our Wellbeing Hub, to meet our clients and to see him sign his own pledge.
“He is a great example and we hope many others make their own pledge, because everyone has mental health and this is great way to improve it.”
Coventry and Warwickshire Mind’s Wellbeing Hub in Rugby runs a range of mental health services including drop-in sessions which take place on Tuesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.
Visit www.cwmind.org.uk for more information about Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, Wellbeing for Warwickshire and the Five Ways to Wellbeing.
