Member Article

Gentoo Group mark Responsible Business Week with Health & Wellbeing Event

People of all ages had the chance to attend a Health and Wellbeing event at the Virgin Active Club in Sunderland this week, to show the different ways people can improve their general wellbeing and share tips on leading a happy and healthy lifestyle.

As part of Responsible Business Week social business Gentoo Group, with the support of local partners – MacMillan Cancer Support, Prostate Cancer UK, NHS, North East Council on Alcoholism (NECA), Cancer Research UK, Bridges Community Bank and FISCUS – organised the event to give customers the chance to meet new people, learn financial tips and take part in energiser classes.

Gentoo customer, Fred Dymond, 73, attended the event. He said: “I thought it was wonderful. It was very informative, really made you think and it was great to hear from people who have actually experienced different health issues. It’s good to raise awareness about checking your lumps and bumps.”

One of the speakers on the day was Kathy McKenna, Suicide Prevention Co-ordinator at Washington Mind. She said: “We really enjoyed being part of the event. Our mission is to empower people to improve their emotional health and wellbeing by spreading the ’five a day for health and happiness message - connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give.

“We want to highlight that by making small changes to your everyday life you can not only improve your personal wellbeing but that of others around you. Whether it’s a smile, learning something new or taking the stairs instead of the lift. It doesn’t cost you anything, but it can really make a difference.”

Julie Walker, Head of Service (Operations), Gentoo Group said: “This week is Responsible Business Week, but at Gentoo we are a responsible business every day. This event was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the positive impact we can have, not only on health but also financial wellbeing. It’s incredibly important to work with partners on initiatives such as this so we can share knowledge and do what’s best for the people who may really need help and advice.”

Gentoo Group’s whole ethos is about believing nothing is impossible and finding new ways to challenge conventions, Gentoo aims to make society a better place to live and to make a real difference to the way people live their life. To find out more about Gentoo, visit gentoogroup.com for more information or follow @gentoogroup on Twitter.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Laura Facey .