From pottery making, to pebble painting – staff at a local charity celebrated Craft Month in March to promote positive wellbeing.
The Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) prides itself on putting staff first, by offering a range of activities throughout the year for staff to enjoy during working hours.
The aim of the activities is to bring staff together, have a catch up with colleagues, try something new and take a break from the working day to relax.
Sandra Roberts, Project Lead of Mental Health Services at PCP, said: “PCP’s mission of “’Health, Wellbeing and Learning for All’ is not only echoed through our projects and services that support local communities, but to our own staff too.
“We have a team of Health Advocates and Mental Health First Aiders that meet regularly to plan and coordinate activities throughout the year that promote and prioritise staff wellbeing.”
Craft Month recently saw staff try their hand at pottery making at the Pioneering Care Centre in Newton Aycliffe, as well as a virtual pebble painting session, to bring together staff from across the region.
Kalina Bellis, a new staff member at PCP, said: “The pottery session was fun for me. I am new to the team, so it gave me a chance to meet other PCP employees, which was nice.
“It was a nice break from an everyday routine. I could switch off my busy mind, enjoy the conversation and get my hands dirty from the clay. I could even manage to create some sort of bowl which I was proud of.”
Fran Coulthard, PCP’s Social Media Officer for the Stockton-on-Tees COVID Community Champions, also took part in the recent pottery making class and said: “The session was extremely well organised and set out with Rae introducing us to a new skill with patience, support and knowledge.
“I love getting creative so this was right up my street but had previously thought, due to the equipment needed, it was inaccessible. I was so wrong! I’m now keen to give it another go and may even purchase a portable wheel. I found the whole session therapeutic but also laughed a lot due to our various attempts.”
Following a successful Craft Month for PCP, staff can now look forward to virtual ‘stretch to destress’ sessions and a friendly challenge, which will see staff compete on who can walk, swim or cycle 874 miles the quickest from April 2022 to March 2023!
For future updates, visit www.facebook.com/PCPandCentre and PCP’s Twitter and Instagram @PioneeringCare
If you would like to find out more about PCP generally, or to support our work, please contact: Jenny Lee, Senior Marketing & Media Officer jenny.lee@pcp.uk.net