Today, members of the Department of Enterprise and Engagement at Canterbury Christ Church University took part in their second Wellbeing Wednesday event, following beach cleaning in Whitstable back in November. A chance to get away from the busy pace of the office, it’s also an opportunity for the team to ‘give something back’ to the local community, this time for Dover SmART.

Wellbeing Wednesday

The team’s wellbeing activity focused on packing creative care packages for young carers that are members of the Dover smART Project. The charity was founded in 2013 and provides ongoing support and opportunities for vulnerable and disadvantaged people living locally. Young carers, their families plus older people and those with dementia can take part in a wide range of creative activities and experiences to boost their confidence, enhance their wellbeing, raise their aspirations and widen their outlook on the world.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and the team was greeted by the wonderful chief executive officers of Dover smART: Laura and Dawn, who immediately set about making cups of tea and coffee. The room was ready for the team to start packing the creative care packages, which included a leaflet about Mr Doodle (a local artist), Sharpie pen, sticker paper, notepad and sweets. Forming an effective production line, the team thoroughly enjoyed spending their time helping out and learning about the charity. Next on the agenda was an invigorating walk along the Dover pier and a quick stop at a local fish and chip shop.

“The way that you’ve helped us this morning is really important to a small charity. For us, it isn’t just about raising funds, it’s about raising awareness of the work that we do and encouraging other people and other businesses to get involved in what we’re doing.“

Dawn, chief executive officer, Dover smART Project.

The team also learnt about a new project called Take 10 minutes, Dover smART Project are currently working:

“Moving forward we’d like to do something called Take 10 Minutes, where corporate sponsors give us 10 minutes of their time. We create a short video for people to watch and then the company donates the 10 minutes pay for each person who’s watched it. It raises awareness and fundraising and ticks your CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) box from the comfort of your own boardroom.“

Dawn, chief executive officer, Dover smART Project.

If you’d like to organise your own Wellbeing Wednesday style event with Dover smART, contact them on 01304 790223 or email: mail@doversmartproject.co.uk