by Eleanore Richardson
Every
year there is an evening in the calendar set aside to celebrate the joy of
literacy, the beauty of reading and the magic of Libraries. That evening falls
on the 23rd April, also known as World Book Night.
This
year for world book night Lewisham Library celebrated the importance of caring
for yourself, be it mentally, physically or spiritually. We invited local
experts, businesses and enthusiasts in Mental Health, Public health,
Vegetarianism and Mindfulness to provide an evening of lectures, discussions
and interactive sessions to help our community learn more about themselves and
how to stay healthy.
Our
first speaker was Lakhvinder Matharu from our Public Health team at Lewisham
Council to discuss the incredible work they are doing to tackle obesity in the
community and raise awareness of the “Sugar Smart Pledge”. The pledge raises
awareness of the sugar content in all types of food that we eat, encourages
organisations and individuals to reduce their sugar consumption AND gives you a
clear and simple way to get involved in lobbying the government to put more
pressure on the food and drinks industry. With sugar consumption being one of
the biggest causative factors for obesity it’s getting more and more important
to know what’s in your food, find out more here.
Lecture number
2 came from Jessica Licorish from MIND, the mental health charity. She gave an
excellent talk on the importance of taking at least 15 minutes every day to
concentrate on yourself, whether that be a quiet moment, a relaxing bath, some
quality reading time or a walk in the park. MIND are an incredible charity that
work to provide not only immediate assistance, but also ongoing support to help
you feel mentally resilient, refreshed and in control. Their work isn’t limited
to counselling either, they also work with doctors and other therapists,
identify tools to help you manage your mental health and provide courses
that have tutors mindful of teaching students with mental health challenges.
Check out their website for more info.
Prana
our third speaker of the evening gave a very informative talk on considerations
when switching to a vegetarian lifestyle. It may feel simple to just cut meat
out of your life, but the protein, vitamins and minerals provided by meat in
our diet have to be supplemented by other means. Doing a bit of research
beforehand and being aware of the nutritional content of food is key to
successfully enjoying a vegetarian lifestyle, no matter what reason you choose
to switch. The vegetarian society has more information on the importance ofnutritional awareness here.
We
capped off the evening with an incredibly Mindfulness session led by Robert
Mitchell, mindfulness coach. He provided context for what mindfulness actually
meant and why it has become so popular. He then led the audience in a
meditation session to begin to understand how mindfulness works in action and
how we can start to practice it in our own time. You can find more information
about his classes here.
Surrounding
the sessions were opportunities to lay your hands on free books and
borrow some fantastic titles from Lewisham Library.
"Excellent and informative event, I hope there are more interesting community events at Lewisham Library and other places in the borough in the near future."
With
excellent feedback, we will be sure to run a similar event later in the year
and I have already started thinking about the themes for next year.
"Excellent and informative event, I hope there are more interesting community events at Lewisham Library and other places in the borough in the near future."
"I was only passing by and saw the
group through the window and popped my head in, I was so pleased that I did.
"
"Well done Lewisham Library! An
excellent way to bring people from all different backgrounds together and
learning together too."
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