Manchester ‘My MOT’ Day!
Around 20 people we support in Greater Manchester attended our ‘My MOT’ Health and Wellbeing Day, a free event to encourage people who access support to learn more about their mental and physical wellbeing and better understand their own health needs.
It took place in Levenshulme Old Library, a historic building tucked away from the street in South Manchester, but it couldn’t be missed with all the bright balloons and bunting tied to the railings outside.
Many local health services including NHS Manchester Integrated Care, Nuffield Health MIHP, Be Smoke Free, BHA for Equality and Answer Cancer, and Manchester NHS Foundation Trust set up their stalls inside the library to speak with the people we support about different aspects of their health.
Each person through the door was given a My MOT Journal to read more about each stall and record their personal health journey. Thank you to Forest Recruitment for donating an amazing £500 to go towards venue hire and a free lunch for everyone.
Kathryn and Sue from the NHS Foundation Trust were giving oral care advice on brushing your teeth. On their table, they had larger than life set of teeth to show people the correct brushing method. Kathryn said, “We like to make it interactive. Smiles are important to everyone.” Helen from Stockport was delighted with a free tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush!
Jide from the Black Health Agency for Equality was there to spread awareness about their Answer Cancer campaign. Jide said, “We’re about raising awareness about cancer in a way that makes people feel seen. For example, advocating for trans people in cancer screening processes and providing information leaflets in different languages.”
Nuffield Health were doing free blood pressure checks and explaining the results. When John from Manchester was told he was fit and healthy, he cheered “I’m all clear!”
Social prescriber Zoe from NHS Manchester Integrated Care visits seven different GP practices in Manchester, offering education around the prevention and management of diabetes. “Just a small change to someone’s lifestyle can make a difference to their health,” she said. Chris and Support Worker Samantha had come from Trafford and enjoyed speaking with Zoe. Chris said, “I’ve travelled all over Europe, but it’s nice to be out and about in the local community too.”
After some time to visit the stalls, Zumba coach Nicky turned on some feel-good dance tunes and people put down their coffees and teas to follow the routine. The Zumba went down a storm. Helen said: “I like dancing to keep fit. It makes me happy. At my service, I do yoga in the morning and Zumba in the afternoon every Thursday. This is why I came to the My MOT Day – to do some more!”
Julius said he loves the music, meanwhile Carl admitted he didn’t realise he liked Zumba until today. Jeremy said his favourite part is always the dancing, followed by lunch!
The room went quiet as everyone tucked into their sandwiches and wraps. We asked Fraser from Stockport what he likes to do to stay healthy: “I love swimming, walking, and going outside. I don’t smoke because I don’t want to increase the risk of cancer,” he said.
The Creative Support tombola was very exciting moment as there was a 32-inch TV up for grabs, donated by Technical Reality. There were also vouchers for nearby cafes and bakeries, a £10 voucher for FarmFoods, and two plants from florist Sweet Buds (check out their gorgeous flowers here: https://sweetbud.co.uk/) Yetunde, a Support Worker in Stockport, was delighted when she pulled out the winning ticket for the TV. She said: “I can’t believe it! I’m so surprised!”
Sophie, a representative from Forrest Recruitment who visited the event, said, “Here at Forrest Recruitment, we are all about giving back to our local communities and this year we were pleased to work with Creative Support on their ‘My MOT’ Day. When we visited on the day, it was lovely to see they’d had such a great turn out with all the attendees dancing away during a Zumba session. Speaking with some of the vendors, it was clear they were all passionate about their industries. Well done to all the staff at Creative Support who made it a truly special day!”
Staff waved everybody goodbye and people got into cars and buses with information leaflets, tubes of toothpaste and Creative Support tote bags. Just as Terrance got up to leave he said, “I enjoyed the My MOT party and I want to come again.”
Check out our 2024 Journal for a list of tests you can do to perform your very own M.O.T!
