Kerry's Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest

healthy Ireland team

Photo:Valerie O’Sullivan

OVER 100 EVENTS FOR KERRY’S MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING FEST

Countywide events to coincide World Mental Health Day

Programme of events for Kerry’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest

Hundreds of people participated in Kerry’s first ever Health and Wellbeing Week in 2018 and following its enormous success, an interagency committee which is supported by the HSE and Kerry County Council has organised an extended two-week long Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest this year. Over 100 events are being arranged at locations across Kerry which focus on and promote the positive mental health and wellbeing of all citizens in the county.

Featuring workshops, seminars, coffee mornings, film screenings and a wide range of activities, the Fest will coincide with the annual World Mental Health Day and runs from 5th to 19th October at numerous locations across the county. Full details of all events will be published over the course of the coming weeks.

Launching the event today, representatives of the HSE and Kerry County Council explained that the Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest aims to promote a positive sense of wellbeing and will highlight mental health services and supports which are available to people in need in the county. Everyone in the county is encouraged to take time out to learn, talk, reflect, and engage with others around the topic of mental health and wellbeing, and to encourage anyone with mental health issues to reach out and avail of supports and services available.

‘The programme of events has come together with the support of all the local statutory agencies working together with the very positive input of community and voluntary groups all over Kerry. Among the highlights of the Fest will be a showing of the film, My Other Life, a discussion on building resilience, workshops on workplace wellbeing, parkruns, mindfulness, meditation and awareness sessions and more’, said Donagh Hennebry, Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention, Cork-Kerry Community Healthcare with the HSE.

Central to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest will be a focus on the Five Ways to Wellbeing:

  • Connect – with the people around you at home, work, school, and in your local community
  • Take Notice – Savour the moment whether you are walking, eating, or talking. Be aware of the world around you and what you’re feeling
  • Be Active – Step outside. Go for a walk, cycle, garden or dance. Discover a physical activity that suits your lifestyle
  • Give – Do something nice for a friend or a stranger. Thank someone. Volunteer. Join a community group
  • Keep Learning – Try something new, rediscover an old interest. Take on new responsibilities. Fix a bike. Learn how to cook your favourite meal.

The Cathaoirleach of Kerry County Council, Cllr Niall Kelleher, said the initiative will build on the positive feedback received for last year’s inaugural event.

‘This is another very positive collaborative initiative between the HSE and Kerry County Council and will, I hope, encourage everyone in the county to take the opportunity to focus mental health and wellbeing. So many local community, voluntary and sporting groups have come on board to host over 100 events. There are events in all parts of the county, and I hope people will engage and get involved,’ he said.

Full details of the programme of events will be made available in the coming weeks at public offices, local libraries, health centres and Family Resource Centres throughout the county as well as on the websites of the HSE and Kerry County Council and on www.healthykerry.ie

Contact Us

Kerry County Council
Co Buildings,
Rathass,
Tralee,
Co. Kerry
Tel: 066/7183500
E:  [email protected] 

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