The Academy launched the Wellbeing Fund in March 2022, following the University’s first Feel Good February programme. The aim was to encourage colleagues to take part in the continued goal to embed wellbeing awareness and practices all year round. The fund provided small grants to support projects, events and activities that contributed to staff wellbeing, both mental and physical, in our UoL community and beyond.
Applications for the Wellbeing Fund closed in June 2022 and The Academy is delighted to report a successful first round. Bids received revealed a great variety of ideas for activities as well as a strong motivation to come together and make time for wellbeing. Many bids had received match funding from departments which helped to make activities even more impactful.
Funded bids involved activities such as:
- A ceramic workshop to create a mug
- Mindfulness workshops
- Books and shelves to start a ‘book swap’ library
- Cushions, plants, pots and gardening material for a staff wellbeing area
- Equipment to facilitate mindfulness/yoga sessions in a shared staff space
- Gardening tools for team volunteering
- Wellbeing baskets for men and women in bathrooms
- A mindful drop-in Craft and Natter workshop
- Materials for crafting and art
You can find out more about some of the wellbeing activities that took place on the Wellbeing Fund Showcase page.
The Academy will open the Wellbeing Fund to staff again in 2022-23 and looks forward to another successful round of creative ideas.
Giving for wellbeing
Colleagues can combine wellbeing activities with volunteering as a group or as an individual. Three days of Volunteering Leave are available per academic year to all staff. This time can be used to support our University Liv to Give charities or to support any charitable activity of your choosing. Find out what colleagues have been doing lately on our Campaigns on Campus webpage.
Keep us up-to-date
Tell us about the wellbeing activities you are involved in by tweeting and tagging @LivUniAcademy, @LivUniEquality and @LivUniPeople and using the hashtags #TeamLivUni and #LivUniWellbeing