Last Friday twenty Thomas Miller employee including those from the UK Club, spent a day volunteering at Hackney Play Association. Hackney Play Association work to provide inclusive spaces and services for children, children with disabilities, young people and their families. They tackle issues such as social isolation and exclusion, ensuring their sites are kept accessible from children from lower income households. Here, children and young people have the opportunity to gain social skills and build confidence through play and outdoor learning in a safe, inclusive environment. It plays an important role in the community but was in desperate need of some TLC.
After a quick walk and some brief introductions we formed ourselves into groups, to undertake a wide range of activities, from general maintenance, through developing animal murals to constructing a wooden play area (with professional help!). As you can imagine everyone got to know each other very well, exploited skills they themselves didn’t know they possessed whilst demonstrating great teamwork and a genuine work ethic – what else would you expect from Thomas Miller people. The transformation to the play area was obvious, surpassing the expectations of ourselves and Hackney Play Association.
We then all moved onto the local hostelry for a much needed drink or two and contemplated how we had 'been the difference.'
A very pleasing and enjoyable day for us and a fantastic result for the community of Hackney.
Research has shown that two thirds of us experience a mental health problem in our lifetimes, and stress is a key factor in this. Monday 14th May marks the start of 'Mental Health Awareness' Week, which this year is focusing on stress and how to manage it in order to improve our mental health.
As the years have progressed, so has technology. In the not so distant past, computers were a thing of luxury however they now deemed more of a necessity. We are becoming increasingly reliant on this assistance but should it be considered a friend or foe?
Sophia Bullard, Crew Health Director at UK P&I, discusses the vital role seafarers are playing during the pandemic, and why wider recognition is deserved.
