While we are all for enjoying the festivities, this time of year can also be challenging. With shorter days, meeting deadlines before the end of the year (never mind the decade!) and pressures of cramming in all the family, friends and work socials… it can take its toll on our physical and mental health.

Christmas aside, a recent PRCA and Opinium poll revealed that almost all (89%) PR professionals are ‘struggling with mental wellbeing’.

Committee member Davnet Doran met with CEO and Founder Hannah Beecham earlier in the year and found her story inspiring. Hannah was driven to start RED January after witnessing the transformative effect that regular exercise had on her Mum as she recovered from a period of severe depression.

Hannah’s aim was to start a free event for all fitness abilities that would give people a focus during January, a characteristically tough month. She wanted to help inspire people like her Mum, to introduce more movement into their daily lives to support their physical and mental health.

Since RED January’s first challenge in 2016, 90,000 people from around the UK have got active every day in January, to beat the blues away. Fearne Cotton, Dame Kelly Holmes, Dr. Chatterjee and Bella Mackie are amongst its supporters. To date, almost £1.7m has been raised for RED January’s charity partner Mind.

What are the benefits?

• Join thousands of people around the UK all kick starting their year in a positive way
• For your business – it can support your organisational wellbeing objectives, and promote staff wellbeing
• Promotes a positive message for your organisation around the importance of physical activity and the positive impact it has on people’s mental health and wellbeing
• By signing up (as a work team, solo or our WPR team*) you will be part of the wider community of REDers, all supporting and motivating each other through a characteristically tough month
• Raise funds that will continue Mind’s life-changing work

Exclusive to WPR members!

Go the extra mile to support RED January…

If you would like to set up a workplace event in January to inspire your colleagues to keep going – and have the brilliant founder of RED January join you for a walk and talk (or run and talk!) – you will need to register your team before December 16^th.

Contact committee member Davnet (via email info@womeninpr.org.uk) to be introduced.  First come first served, Hannah will happily join three PR teams in the new year.  A great way to start 2020 on the right foot and set out your wellbeing agenda.

~ Also PR week conducted their mental health survey this month (deadline was Dec 4^th). We’ll be sure to review the findings and hope that there is some good news… Let’s see.

The WPR registration page can be found here.