Supporting Countryfile Children In Need Ramble 2022
EqualsIW and Green Time will be supporting the Countryfile Children In Need Ramble 2022.
You can register your interest and purchase a bobble hat from the Children in Need web pages.
The Ramble date will be announced later – Keep watching Countryfile.
Are You a Member of an Ethnic Minority Community?
We want to help tell older people’s stories.
EqualsIW is encouraging older Isle of Wight residents from ethnic minority communities to join a project looking at their experiences on the island.
If you join you will be provided with a camera to take pictures that help tell your story about ageing on the Isle of Wight. You will meet with other residents in the spring and summer to identify important issues to address, to discuss your stories with others, and to help plan the communication of these stories.
If you or someone you know is 60 years of age or older, resides on the Isle of Wight, is a member of a minority community (for example: African, Polish, Chinese, Filipino, Arab, etc.), and is interested in taking part, please contact Dr Witcher
Presentation
All are welcome to a presentation about the project at
- The Riverside Centre, Newport
- 5 May 2 - 4pm
Green Time Quarr Abbey Walk
A group of 12 people came together on Easter Saturday to take part in the first Green Time Walk Your Way to Health with the Equals IW Friendship Group for Friends and Family. A four mile round trip of 8,500 steps and 345 Kcalories.
The group started with a gentle walk from Quarr Abbey to visit Binstead Wood and Dame Anthony’s Common. Stopping to explore Play Lane Millennium Green and pond they found a fallen tree for a group picture. Some delicious homemade Spanish bread and cakes were enjoyed by all underneath the big oak tree in the centre of the Millennium Green.
The group headed back through Ladies Walk and Binstead Golf Course, stopping to learn about the Holy Cross Church in Binstead and to take photos under the blossom tree in full bloom. The group walked past Quarr Abbey and read the information board before returning back through the Abbey's Woodland Walk. The walk finished with refreshments in the garden of the Abbey Café. Mark talked with the group about chapels you can visit and the grave yard behind the main Monastery building.
The Abbey of Our Lady of Quarr is well worth a visit with a Visitors Centre, farm and book shop. You can tour the grounds and step inside the Monastery admiring the art on display.
We hope you enjoy a small selection of the photos from the walk
Why not look at our Green Time flyer for the Saturday 21st May 2022 walk
Green Time Walk Your Way to Health The Natural Way to Good Emotional Well-being and Mental Health
Green Time Community Programme Funded
Equals IW is awarded £4,885 to deliver a new community programme called Green Time - The Natural Way to Good Emotional Well-being and Mental Health.
Equals IW received funding from the Isle of Wight Council to run Green Time as a programme of engagement activities through the Equals IW Friendship Groups. It is open to ages from children to grandparents and to all abilities. Participants will enhance their emotional well-being and mental health through physical exercise, creative stimulation and by taking a closer look at how food and mood are related. It will explore the role of good gut health and the impact food has on our overall mental wellness It will cover specific mental illnesses like depression and anxiety.
Green Time comprises of three core activities
- Green Time Walk Your Way To Health Guided Walks
- Green Time Green Skills
- Green Time Food and Mood
Green Time Walk Your Way to Health
These comprise guided walk sessions.
They will combine either an outdoor craft activity or an outdoor cooking activity linking positive emotional well-being with healthy outdoor food cooking. Delivered through the Equals IW Friendship Group for Friends and Family, these sessions will be open to children with parents, young people and adults with no upper age limit. The walks will enable people of all ages to enjoy the natural outdoors, through gentle physical exercise to stimulate positive emotional well-being and mental health. Exploring the outdoor natural environment through a guided walk gives an opportunity to learn about the local history, wildlife in areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) on the Isle of Wight. Whilst blending the use of technology (Apps) for Health, Fitness, Mindfulness and Nature.
Walking promotes brain activity and thinking time and will allow participants some mindfulness reflection. People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. It is also a powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges. Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression and anxiety. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood and you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a real difference. No matter your age or fitness level, Green Time will enable participants to use exercise as a powerful tool to deal with mental health problems, improve energy, outlook, and get more out of life.
Green Time Green Skills
These are three-hour craft sessions delivered through the Equals IW Friendship Group for women.
These sessions are open to women only and will enable them to come together through a range of craft activities that includes making costumes. Sessions will also focus on dance and music as way to physical exercise and to stimulate positive emotional well-being and mental health.
Green Time Green Skills allows participants to be creative through a range of art activities focused on recycling material. Creating art provides a distraction, giving your brain a break from your usual thoughts. The average person has roughly 70,000 thoughts per day and 90% of them are exactly the same, day in and day out. When you are totally immersed in a creative endeavour, you may find yourself in what is known as “the zone” or a state of “flow.” This meditative-like state focuses your mind and temporarily pushes aside all your worries. Creating art trains you to concentrate on details and pay more attention to your environment, in this way, it acts like meditation. Creative activities can also really help people deal with different kinds of trauma and negative feelings, by having a calming effect on the brain and body.
Green Time Food and Mood
Three-hour sessions delivered through the Equals IW Friendship Group for women. These sessions are open to women only and will enable them to come together with a professional dietitian and see how eating well can help you feel better. Sessions will focus on the importance of eating regularly, staying hydrated and eating a balanced diet. It covers the role of carbohydrates and the right balance of proteins and fats and the importance of vitamins, minerals and looking after your gut health. There are psychological, social and biological benefits of eating meals with other people. Participants will together have an opportunity to learn how to make a selection of healthy foods from different cultures.
>Read More: Green Time Community Programme Funded
Friendship Groups
As part of the aim to support equality and diversity on the Isle of Wight, Equals offers friendship groups for women and men of ethnic backgrounds.
For a real cultural diversity experience come and join our women's group.
The group provides a welcoming place to women of both minority and majority ethnic background. Come and make new friends, get advice and find support. You can take part in fun activities and maybe participate in some training. The ladies of the groups have taken part in
- Carnivals and arts parade
- The Kite Festival
- Cultural and Diversity Events
- Art and Craft fun Activities
- Information Technology Training
- Food Hygiene Training
- Cooking Courses at the Isle of Wight College
- Culture Kitchen
- Back to Work Training
- Private Swimming Sessions
To find out more please contact Equals.
Email: