news

Investing in our staff's mental health with new programme aimed at family wellbeing

Edinburgh Leisure | Monday 19th February 2024 0:05am

Investing in our staff's mental health with new programme aimed at family wellbeing

Two-thirds of parents in the UK are worried about their children’s mental health. And rightly so, as 1 in 6 children in the UK are experiencing mental health problems.

When children are anxious and stressed, parents are often anxious and stressed.

That's why at Edinburgh Leisure, we're taking a whole family approach to wellbeing and empowering our employees to support their children’s mental health.

Our employees now have access to the Wee Seeds Mini-Minds Wellbeing Toolbox. It's a programme of fun and easy mindfulness exercises for children. It's all about bringing calm and connection to families.

Helen Macfarlane, Director of Wellbeing at Edinburgh Leisure said: “Encouraging and supporting people’s health and wellbeing is at the heart of what we do at Edinburgh Leisure.  We deliver a range of wellbeing initiatives to support our customers’ and employees’ health and wellbeing.  We’re investing in our employees’ mental health.  So, we’re taking a whole family approach to mental health and empowering our employees to support their children by giving them access to the @WeeSeeds Mini-Minds Wellbeing Toolbox. Our staff deserve good mental health and so do their children.”

Wee Seeds Founder, Christina Cran, said: "We believe it's time for employers to take a whole family approach to mental health. All the areas of our life, work, home, and social life, intersect with each other. By working on having a calm family environment at home, we can improve all areas of our lives. Calm families, equal calm staff. That's why we're delighted to support Edinburgh Leisure with their staff and their families' wellbeing.

"Our Mini-Minds Toolbox is designed to help shape the next generation's mental health. The mental health crisis starts with our children, it's time we tackle that early."

Mindfulness can help children:

- Focus more easily and be ready to learn
- Sleep better
- Feel less anxious
- Feel more connected to their family
- Build resilience
- Understand their emotions
- Deal with frustration better
- Become kinder to others and themselves

These are skills children can use today and for the rest of their lives so we are also investing in the future of the workforce.

As a social enterprise, all profits Wee Seeds makes go back into its social impact programme.   

So, by partnering with Wee Seeds, Edinburgh Leisure will also contribute to Wee Seeds' social impact programme Growing Good, which will support families in poverty or struggling with their mental health to nurture their mental well-being.

To find out more about how Wee Seeds is improving mental health,  visit weeseeds.co.uk

To speak to Wee Seeds, email christina@weeseeds.co.uk, or telephone 07725 316513