Unfortunately, on the Thursday, I was at
work. It was our Board Day. At Board, I reminded folk of the ongoing conflicts
across the world and the fact that we provide mental health care for those
traumatised by conflicts old and new. We observed a minute’s silence before we
started our meeting, and that felt like the right thing for us to be doing.
Currently, I’m writing this blog
somewhere on the Calder & Hebble Navigation. It is Day 3 of our canal journey. The trip was
partly inspired by watching the Timothy West and Prunella Scales TV programmes showcasing
their many canal trips, and partly by my desire to retire and live on a
narrowboat. At the moment, neither seem likely, but Jane thought I should try a
short break, living on a narrow boat. She organised the break as a surprise
birthday present. And here we are.
We should have been on the Rochdale Canal but because it’s been so dry, it was closed. We were very disappointed as both Jane and I are familiar with the area, and love the hills and towns that line its length. We were also going to have a birthday catch up with friends and family at the wonderful town of Hebden Bridge. It was not to be, and we will celebrate at Brighouse instead later today.
I was also disappointed that we were not going to be on the Rochdale Canal as it has a unique place in British social history. Despite being a hugely busy canal in its heyday, by 1952, most of the Rochdale Canal had fallen into disrepair and was unnavigable. It remained closed for many years. It took from 1974 to July 2002 (plus a grant from the National Lottery Millennium Fund) to fully restore the canal and to make it once again navigable along its full length from Sowerby Bridge to the heart of Manchester city centre.
Interestingly, the restoration of the Rochdale Canal was
helped by folk on the 1975 Job Creation Programme. This was a programme designed
to provide jobs (often short term) that had some ‘social value’.
Although initially it was aimed at young people aged 16 -24 and those aged 50
and over, it was later opened up to anyone who was classed as long-term
unemployed.
As far as the Rochdale Canal was
concerned, the Job Creation Programme was a great success. At its height, some
450 folk were working on its restoration. As the programme only allowed people
to stay on it for just 12 months, over the years many thousands of people were
able to acquire a range of skills and experience to help them gain fulltime
employment. Being gainfully employed is good for our mental health and
wellbeing.
The World Health Organisation
notes that some 60% of the world’s population are employed. That in itself is clearly
a good thing. Work can promote good mental health and wellbeing by providing a
sense of purpose, and an opportunity to develop positive relationships with
others. Being employed also establishes a routine and helps build self-confidence
and a sense of achievement. The opposite of this is true of course. Poor and/or
unsafe working conditions, job insecurity and oppressive organisational
cultures are likely to have a negative impact upon our mental health and wellbeing.
For me, the wellbeing of
colleagues is paramount. Like the rest of my team, we all regularly ask each
other how things are, and are they okay? It is of course, okay not to be
feeling okay. I’m also rigorous in ensuring folk take their annual leave; I
know from my own experience that when you don’t take sufficient rest, it’s
something that can lie you low. And that is a good place to end this blog. I’m
going to sit and watch the world wake up before getting under way once more.
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