Understanding wellbeing and resilience

Accessible and inclusive

Emily Finney, Chemists’ Community Fund assistant, attended the London workshop and was really encouraged to see it so well received: “The audience was really varied; there was a big range of ages, genders and career stage, which is exactly what we want at our member events,” she said. “The workshops are delivered in a very accessible way – they’re not invasive and they make people feel more comfortable about opening up, without putting any pressure on attendees to contribute.

"We’ve had some great feedback – one member said they wouldn’t expect the Royal Society of Chemistry to host events like this and that it was very encouraging to see that support from their professional body.”

Of the people who have attended so far, 97% said they would recommend the workshops to friends or colleagues. Mark Botting, chair of our Kent Local Section, attended the London workshop. “We were pleased to take part in the first pilot workshop with Trevor in Kent,” he said.

“I found Trevor’s Workshop to be a useful introduction to recognising the initial signs of mental ill-health in oneself and in others. If Trevor agrees, we wish to pilot a couple of student wellbeing workshops here in Kent at local campuses, alongside a general member workshop.”

So far, there have been workshops in London and Newcastle with more to be rolled out across the rest of our Local Sections, later in the year. The next confirmed date is in Liverpool on 21 June. Local sections are encouraged to contact the Chemists’ Community Fund directly, or their local CCF volunteers, to find out more about hosting a workshop. Our Chemists’ Community Fund is there to support members both financially and holistically, so if you are struggling with challenges in your life, please do get in touch. Email our Chemists' Community Fund team (using the form on the left of this page) for more information.