Five Ways To Wellbeing

An introduction to how you can use writing for wellbeing, health and happiness, based on the New Economics Foundation Five Ways to Wellbeing.

Based on research spanning scientific research, organisational frameworks, government policy efficacy and individuals, the government think take have arrived at recommendations for a life of wellbeing:

• Connect
• Be Active
• Notice
• Keep Learning
• Give

Taking the concept of wellbeing as comprising two main elements: feeling good and functioning well – across multiple facets that include mental health, physical health, relationships, social integration and economic wellbeing, these five factors are used within policy formation and measurement across the board.

In this session I’ll share some ways that you can use your pen and paper to address each of these, and have fun doing so!

Writing for Wellbeing

A writing workshop using exercises to help stimulate creativity, explore oneself, be a bit playful, and enhance a sense of wellbeing. Writing has been proven to have physical, mental, and social benefits, and in this session you’ll experience just why and learn techniques to take away and use yourself.

The BUST Craftacular London summer session brought some of the best in the capital together to share their skills and wares at York Hall in Bethnal Green. Nearly seventy stalls filled the Bethnal Green venue, including wooden jewellery from Lucie Ellen, quirky postcards by Lucy Wilkins, lovely sewn bags by East London’s Olive Road, some organic haircare courtesy of Glasshouse and prints on offer from Su & Miah.

As well as all the opportunities to part with your cash for something beautiful, workshops throughout the day let participants try it out themselves. London Craft Club set up plant pots for individuals to paint, the colourful thumbs being a giveaway as to who had given it a go. The retro art of friendship bracelets was there with Mollie Makes and The New Craft House, and Live It. Love It. Make It. has brightened up homes (including my own!) with some paper cut wall hangings.

Tatty Devine is one of the success stories of the homegrown creative business. Started by best friends Harriet and Rosie in 1999 as a panicked reaction to a Vogue buyer asking Harriet to see her collection after spotting on her wrist the leather cuff she had made, it’s now a global jewellery range, specialising in bright and bold design. Using acrylic I was taken through the steps of making a bunting necklace, that will jazz up even the blandest of black work outfits.

Most of the designers and makers at BUST Craftacular sell and run workshops throughout the year. From the oooohs and smiles around the fair, it seems like new and old crafters alike will be sampling what’s on offer, and joining the cool crowd.

My Arvon week helped me to free the shackles of the inner critic that stops me putting pen to paper.

Described in the brochure as ‘a week for writers aiming to say something about their lives’ it sums up in many ways what writing is about. Nearly all writing involves some personal happenings, memories, a blurring of fact and fiction. That can be tricky to do, especially when writing from life. Your experience inevitably involves others, and the need for privacy and protection, as well as a desire for accuracy can make things tough. The truth is murkier than we think, and some of my favourite moments were the lively debates about whose truth is the truth?!

Taught by journalists Sathnam Sanghera and Hannah Pool, whose books The Boy With The Topknot and My Father’s Daughter both explore the themes of family secrets and identity, the course explored all elements of finding a story, and telling that story. From interviewing skills to pitching your book, writing about events long ago buried, and thinking about form and voice, the workshops were educational and enlightening. Afternoons were free to write, but I also found myself walking, reading, and napping. Lumb Bank, with its history, vast library and stunning location is full of inspiration, all of which is hugely nourishing to a writer. A combination of structured workshops, individual tutorials and free time provided the right balance of stimulation and opportunity to think, and I found myself excited and rejuvenated for future writing.

And what of those other writers who intimidated me so much? I don’t know if it’s always like this, or is a virtue of a course on memoir and the personal stories and vulnerability encountered as a result, but the group bonded quickly and deeply. Travelling from as far as Alaska and South Korea just for the week, aged 29 – 84, from diverse backgrounds and histories, the fifteen of us would almost certainly have never met in the ‘real’ world, yet here the conversation was flying.

Cooking together, sharing our writing, and free flowing wine all makes for connections. Scratching beneath the surface I learned of things we had in common, and things I had never thought of. Rather than pressure, I found support and encouragement.

On the final evening, when the stage became ours and we read aloud a piece of writing, the tears, laughter and praise was wonderful to see. Clear talent existed in the room, whatever disparaging putdowns people made about themselves. Many said that the week had changed their writing, made them reconsider their book, format, or angle, and what they were reading tonight could never have happened without it.

Every person has their own story, voice, style and perspective. This week at Arvon Lumb Bank did not teach anyone what to write or how to write it, but guide the individual to their truth, to tell their story in the best way they can, and share it with the world.

Read the original post on the Arvon blog.

Travel lust strikes already. Especially when it involves beautiful scenery, warm weather, and delicious food. Cookery schools are popping up all around the world, tapping into the desire to create and learn, as well as nourish and nurture ourselves, in a world where busy schedules often mean that we don’t take the time to feed and fend for ourselves. Coupled with a bombardment of celebrity chefs and cookery shows, the audience is growing, and everyone from young teenagers to older couples are embarking on cookery courses.  We often return from abroad desperate to eat like we did whilst away, and cookery school holidays let us learn the skills to do so. Leisure time is decreasing and so people are seeking to get more value and learning from their holidays, investing in more experiential pursuits. 

This June sees the launch of Stirred, an Italian culinary holiday experience truly unique –  hosted in a spectacular 15th Century villa. Surely there can be no better place to learn the skills of pasta making, the secrets of perfect pomodoro, or a delectable risotto. Guests are immersed in the tastes, sights, smells, and culture of one of the most evocative parts of Northern Italy, nestled in the foothills of the Dolomites. In this picturesque spot guests will cook with local and fresh produce, which is one of the real advantages of cooking in an authentic location, being taken to magical Venice with trips to the Rialto fish and fresh foods markets to pick up some of the best seasonal produce to bring back for classes and more off the beaten track with seasonal truffle-hunting trips.

This doesn’t mean that the usual holiday habits are neglected at Stirred. For moments not cooking and eating, guests can get their history fix. Villa Casagrande is home of the Conti Brandolini d’Adda, historically a fiercely proud military family who defended the surrounding towns and valleys against invaders for hundreds of years and portraits and paintings reflecting the Brandolini D’Adda’s fortunes in love and war adorn the walls, whilst giant swords and the family’s red scorpio battle standard decorate the imposing entrance hall. There’s also an 18-metre pool which provides the perfect way to work up an appetite for an alfresco dinner by the monumental chestnut tree, and extensive grounds to explore post dinner, with a glass of locally produced wine in hand. It’s not all work – dinners out at local restaurants are part of the thrill of holidays, and so those on the course will be taken to restaurants that serve up local cuisine for which the area is famous.

‘The idea of Stirred is to provide a completely authentic Italian culinary experience. Guests will fall in love with Villa Casagrande and the gorgeous surrounding area of the Veneto. Our fantastic chefs run the classes but we also have local experts who will reveal all the hidden jewels of this unexplored part of Italy’, said Stirred co-founder Sarah Roberts.

An excellent, and delicious, idea. 

2014 Dates

15th to 21st June (50% discount for launch week)

7th to 13th September 

14th to 20th September 

21st to 27th September 

12th to 18th October

All photos by Sean Knott.