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A Wellness Wednesday Takeover in Bishop Auckland

Hear from our Retail team in Bishop Auckland who have started "Wellness Wednesdays" lunches for store colleagues and volunteers to enjoy.

This winter we’ve sent out wellbeing kits to our shops and stores packed with tea, coffee, and light snacks to give everyone the opportunity to have a warm drink or a piece of toast if they wish. One store who has taken it to the next level is our team in Bishop Auckland, who have been cooking up a treat with their weekly “Wellness Wednesday” with lunches for store colleagues and volunteers to enjoy. Choosing recipes from our Heart Matters magazine, volunteers are provided with a hot lunch and a recipe to take and try at home; to encourage spending time together, eating healthily, and supporting each other’s wellbeing.

Store Manager, Adam Peacock, explains the motivation for starting Wellness Wednesday: “We started Wellness Wednesday to bring the team together and help cheer people up with the cost of living, it shows the team how to eat healthily and cheaply.” And that’s exactly what they’ve achieved, serving up a variety of heart healthy recipes, from chilli con carne and sausage casseroles to hearty chicken and vegetable soup for when it’s a bit chilly outside!

“We have Wellness Wednesday weekly and we try to mix things up with new recipes, always leaving a printout for volunteers to take home. We tell the team what’s on the menu a few days before to get them excited, and the reception has been great,” says Adam.

One of the volunteers at the Bishop Auckland store, Mark, echoes Adam’s reflection of the success of the events, sharing just how much he’s been enjoying the wellness events and how it’s influenced his cooking outside of his volunteering hours. Mark says, “I’ve taken home a menu for every Wellness Wednesday I’ve attended and I’ve now bought a slow cooker to make the recipes at home! I’d give Wellness Wednesday a 10/10.”

With an activity solely centred around wellbeing, the Bishop Auckland team was keen to share their biggest tip with us. “Check in with one another and ask how we’re all doing.”

Adam continues, “Supporting wellbeing within the team is important as it helps people appreciate each other and have the self-awareness to question if they’re okay, whilst knowing that the team is here to support them if they need help. It’s important to us that we have times when we can come together and show each other that we care.”

Thanks so much to the team at Bishop Auckland for such a fantastic idea and to all of our volunteers there for getting involved in Wellness Wednesday. We have so many heart-healthy recipes on our Heart Matters website, which you can view here. Remember to keep an eye out in your monthly Staying Connected newsletter for plenty of healthy recipe suggestions too!
To find out more, or to support British Heart Foundation’s work, please visit www.bhf.org.uk. You can speak to one of our cardiac nurses by calling our helpline on 0808 802 1234 (freephone), Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. For general customer service enquiries, please call 0300 330 3322, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

British Heart Foundation is a registered Charity No. 225971. Registered as a Company limited by guarantee in England & Wales No. 699547. Registered office at Greater London House, 180 Hampstead Road, London NW1 7AW. Registered as a Charity in Scotland No. SC039426