Theme: Wellbeing - FoW

In this 90 min workshop you will explore what wellbeing means to you and how you could enhance yours. This online workshop will use the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitation method to help explore complex topics.

Building with LEGO® bricks and using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitation will make sure that you and the others in the group contribute equally and understand each other. It will stimulate your thinking, communication and problem solving skills, and create an environment with insight, confidence and commitment. Your possibilities for learning are enormous.

Please note that this workshop only has a small capacity and sign up will close on 12 June so that a LEGO® brick kit can be sent to you in the post. If you get a place in the workshop, you will be asked to complete an online form for your postal address.

To get the most from the session, the group will work together using the basic principles of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®:


1. Question – an issue and a suitable open question is identified

2. Build – you make LEGO® brick models to answer the question from your own perspective

3. Share – you all explain your model using it as a metaphor to answer the question

4. Reflect – the group checks everyone’s understanding, and makes sense of the knowledge that has been unlocked.

You will find the approach useful because:


• We all have a unique perspective

• Our brain works better in three dimensions

• Playing in three dimensions lets us see more perspectives and have more ideas

• Story-making and metaphors help you communicate more clearly.

Registration form and joining instructions will be provided on your booking confirmation email

Many of us are suffering from anxiety at the moment, which is not surprising given the impact on our lives from the Covid-19 pandemic.

This session offers you the opportunity to kick off your shoes, sit back and relax.

You will enjoy a 20 minute beach visualisation designed to take you on a mini-break that will leave you relaxed and refreshed. There will also be some information about the Staff Counselling Centre.

Joining instructions will be provided on your booking confirmation email.

Ideas and resources for those working with or caring for young people. A set of ideas and techniques for Young People to put into practice and facilitate their own self regulated wellbeing resilience. Some of these are creative and practical activities, others are from trauma informed yoga and mindfulness.

This session will be delivered by Sarah-Cate Blake, Fitzwilliam Museum Education Officer

How can the science of wellbeing help us better understand the role digital technology plays in our everyday lives? We have never spent more time on screens – for work, for leisure, and everything in between – than we do now. In what ways can we more fully understand how our social media use can affect our relation to other people, to the rest of the world, and how we feel about ourselves? This Festival of Wellbeing event will be interactive and there will be ample time for questions.

About The Speakers: Professor Felicia Huppert is internationally renowned for her work on the science of well-being and the promotion of human flourishing. She is Honorary Professor at The University of Sydney, Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and Founding Director of the Well-being Institute at the University of Cambridge. Tyler Shores is the Manager of the University of Cambridge ThinkLab programme, and also researches digital distractions, social media, and the role of digital technology in our everyday lives. Tyler will be posting links and questions leading up the event at: https://twitter.com/tylershores

"In this workshop you will explore what wellbeing means to you and how you could enhance yours. This online workshop will use the LEGO Serious Play facilitation method to help explore complex topics.

Building with LEGO bricks and using LEGO Serious Play facilitation will make sure that you and the others in the group contribute equally and understand each other. It will stimulate your thinking, communication and problem solving skills, and create an environment with insight, confidence and commitment. Your possibilities for learning are enormous.

Please note that this workshop only has a small capacity and sign up will close on 22 June so that a LEGO brick kit can be sent to you in the post in good time. You will also need to submit a postal address so the bricks can be put in the post by the end of 25 June.

To get the most from the session, the group will work together using the basic principles of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®:
 1. Question – an issue and a suitable open question is identified

2. Build – you make LEGO® brick models to answer the question from your own perspective

3. Share – you all explain your model using it as a metaphor to answer the question

4. Reflect – the group checks everyone’s understanding, and makes sense of the knowledge that has been unlocked.

You will find the approach useful because:


• We all have a unique perspective

• Our brain works better in three dimensions

• Playing in three dimensions lets us see more perspectives and have more ideas

• Story-making and metaphors help you communicate more clearly."

Joining Instructions and how to register to receive your Lego Bricks will be on your booking confirmation email

"In this workshop you will explore what wellbeing means to you and how you could enhance yours. This online workshop will use the LEGO Serious Play facilitation method to help explore complex topics.

Building with LEGO bricks and using LEGO Serious Play facilitation will make sure that you and the others in the group contribute equally and understand each other. It will stimulate your thinking, communication and problem solving skills, and create an environment with insight, confidence and commitment. Your possibilities for learning are enormous.

Please note that this workshop only has a small capacity and sign up will close on 22 June so that a LEGO brick kit can be sent to you in the post in good time. You will also need to submit a postal address so the bricks can be put in the post by the end of 25 June.

To get the most from the session, the group will work together using the basic principles of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®:

1. Question – an issue and a suitable open question is identified

2. Build – you make LEGO® brick models to answer the question from your own perspective

3. Share – you all explain your model using it as a metaphor to answer the question

4. Reflect – the group checks everyone’s understanding, and makes sense of the knowledge that has been unlocked.

You will find the approach useful because:


• We all have a unique perspective

• Our brain works better in three dimensions

• Playing in three dimensions lets us see more perspectives and have more ideas

• Story-making and metaphors help you communicate more clearly."

Joining Instructions and how to register to receive your Lego Bricks will be on your booking confirmation email

This webinar aims to recognise how diet and lifestyle impacts overall health and wellbeing especially in the ‘new normal’ academic workplace, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, we will discuss how the food we eat and lifestyle choices we make can have direct and indirect effects on our function, and speakers will access practical strategies to integrate healthy habits as part of daily routines.

Speakers: Professor Sumantra Ray, Dr Minha Rajput-Ray, Helena Trigueiro RD, Shane McAuliffe RD

Our systems of recognition and reward play an important part in creating a positive research culture.

This session will look at the connection between recognition and research culture, and will encourage you to explore how you would like to be recognised, and how you can recognise others, in order to promote a positive and healthy research culture for yourself, your research group and department.

This session is being delivered by Liz Simmonds, Assistant Head, Postdoc Academy, Chair of the Research Culture Working Group

Esther Hunt (Faculty of Education) will be offering a range of mindful practices and will draw upon the work of Professor Mark Williams, Dr Patrizia Collard, and Dr Sue Stuart-Smith (The Well Gardened Mind).

Now more than ever, there is a need for compassion in the workplace. But what do we mean by a ‘compassionate workplace’, and what are the benefits of being more compassionate – towards ourselves and others?

In this session, Jonathan Taylor, an Occupational Psychologist from Pearn Kandola, will explore compassion at work, and discuss what we currently know about the benefits of practicing self-compassion and of compassion towards others. We will also introduce the role of the ‘compassionate leader’ in the months ahead, and share some practical ideas that you can introduce to support yourself and others.

Highly recommended for people managers and anyone interested in supporting your own wellbeing and that of your colleagues.

Is mindfulness training like physical exercise but for the mind, that will improve our health and wellbeing?

This is a frequent comparison, but how far can it be stretched?

We will discuss the scientific evidence available and explore its most critical issues before you decide to go for some mindful pull ups.

Dr Julieta Galante, Department of Psychiatry

A brief look at:

• the psychological impact of the COVID pandemic and lockdown on adults and adolescents
• the potential for mixed feelings as COVID restrictions lift
• taking care of our mental health as we go back to our ‘normal’ lives

Dr Zoe Martin, Principal Clinical Psychologist in Major Trauma & Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Staff Mental Health Service Dr Anna Conway-Morris, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist & Training Programme Director for Child Psychiatry

University staff can attend this free 1 hour online workshop on cycle maintenance, learning the fundamentals to keep you riding with how to safety check your bike and perform a puncture repair. There will also be a chance to ask the instructor questions.

Learn basic cycle maintenance with Outspoken Cycles via a live online workshop!

Places are limited so booking is essential. If you have any questions, please email travel@admin.cam.ac.uk

Joining instructions will be provided on your booking confirmation email.

Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, the gardens have always been a very important part of Newnham College life.

The first principal, Anne Jemima Clough extolled the virtues of ‘fresh air, exercise and wholesome food’ and as part of the 150th celebrations we are continuing this tradition with the introduction of a new permaculture Food Forest Garden. Designed and grown by students with the garden team, the new garden is a place where all members of the College can learn about permaculture and sustainable food production, and the benefits of working outside together and growing our own organic food.

The tour will also include a visit to the ‘Incredible Edible’ potager beds in the main garden, planted with fruit and vegetables like kale, chard, lettuces, beans and more than 20 varieties of tomatoes for those in College to pick throughout the summer.

Only those with a booking will be admitted to the college in line with the government Covid guidelines

Join Associate Vicar Reverend Devin McLachlan and tour Great St Mary’s Church with some fun highlights — the Regius Professor of Divinity who was dug up and posthumously burnt at the stake; the ‘Black Assembly’ between the University and the city; Royal visits, the Cambridge Quarters, and the physician who stuffed an opium-addicted vicar into a cow…

There may be an opportunity to go up the Tower depending on the conditions on the day.

We all need something that can take us away from the stresses of everyday life and to clear our minds. What better than a photo walk.

Lloyd Mann and Nick Saffell from the Office of External Affairs and Communications, are offering wellbeing photography walks for staff across the University.

The sessions aim to teach simple steps that will help you take great photographs using your smartphone or camera, with a no-pressure, hands-on approach. We help you think about what makes good subject matter, and support you with angles and framing, allowing you to get the best shot possible.

The photo exercises give you something to occupy your mind and stimulate your brain, to get creative and hopefully the sessions might encourage you to take photos every day.

To make the session accessible, we’re running them for one hour, during office hours. Don’t let the walking part put you off, the emphasis is on taking some time to ‘look up’, and to connect with our surroundings.

We all need something that can take us away from the stresses of everyday life and to clear our minds. What better than a photo walk.

Lloyd Mann and Nick Saffell from the Office of External Affairs and Communications, are offering wellbeing photography walks for staff across the University.

The sessions aim to teach simple steps that will help you take great photographs using your smartphone or camera, with a no-pressure, hands-on approach. We help you think about what makes good subject matter, and support you with angles and framing, allowing you to get the best shot possible.

The photo exercises give you something to occupy your mind and stimulate your brain, to get creative and hopefully the sessions might encourage you to take photos every day.

To make the session accessible, we’re running them for one hour, during office hours. Don’t let the walking part put you off, the emphasis is on taking some time to ‘look up’, and to connect with our surroundings.

Come along to this session for an hour of gentle and inclusive yoga practice, accessible to all body shapes, ages and backgrounds. Don't worry if you have never practiced yoga or are coming back to the mat after some time - everyone is welcome.

Although this session will be held in the gardens, a room will be available in case of inclement weather.

Please wear suitable clothing and bring a mat.

Meeting details will be shown on your booking confirmation email.

Come along to this session for an hour of gentle and inclusive yoga practice, accessible to all body shapes, ages and backgrounds. Don't worry if you have never practiced yoga or are coming back to the mat after some time - everyone is welcome.

Although this session will be held in the gardens, a room will be available in case of inclement weather.

Please wear suitable clothing and bring a mat.

Meeting instructions will be shown on your booking confirmation email.

Join Lloyd Mann & Nick Saffell in this Wellbeing Photography Walk around Central Cambridge

The sessions aim to teach simple steps that will help you take great photographs using your smartphone or camera, with a no-pressure, hands-on approach. We help you think about what makes good subject matter, and support you with angles and framing, allowing you to get the best shot possible. The photo exercises give you something to occupy your mind and stimulate your brain, to get creative and hopefully the sessions might encourage you to take photos every day.

Join Lloyd Mann & Nick Saffell in this Wellbeing Photography Walk around West Cambridge.

The sessions aim to teach simple steps that will help you take great photographs using your smartphone or camera, with a no-pressure, hands-on approach. We help you think about what makes good subject matter, and support you with angles and framing, allowing you to get the best shot possible. The photo exercises give you something to occupy your mind and stimulate your brain, to get creative and hopefully the sessions might encourage you to take photos every day.

Anxiety and depression is high and we're looking for new ways to take back control of our lives. New ways to become resilient and bounce back. Whether you've been dealt a good or bad hand in life, now is the time to take charge and bounce back to get closer to the life you want.

Dr. Olivia Remes will be sharing tips on overcoming obstacles in life, achieving wellbeing and becoming resilient, based on research. Olivia's research has been featured by the BBC and USA Today. She is also a life coach helping people let go of fear, tackle challenges and reach their goals in life. She is the author of the book, The Instant Mood Fix, which contains strategies for tackling anxiety, procrastination, and indecision, among others - she will be touching on some of these themes in her talk.

Dr. Remes has a PhD in mental health from the University of Cambridge, where she has also worked for the past decade.

You can read more about Dr. Remes here

Join Clare Hall in a guided (or self-guided) mindful wander and outdoor meditation, enjoying the College’s beautiful grounds and gardens. Mindfulness is about purposely paying attention in the present moment, noticing our surroundings and what we are doing, rather than being caught in thinking about the past or future. You’re warmly invited to take in the sights, sounds and fragrances of Clare Hall’s green spaces this summertime. The guided session will begin with mindful sculpture sketching and tree gazing, before heading over to West Court for a short guided meditation, after which participants will be free to roam our gardens.

Detail on activities:

Mindful sculpture sketching: we will provide paper and pens for a short mindful sketching exercise, in which participants are invited not to look at the paper and to simply look very closely at a sculpture and sketch what they most notice. You may be surprised by your creation!

Tree gazing: walking along Herschel Road we will pause and look carefully at the large, leafy trees, listening to any sounds and wildlife we may notice.

Guided meditation: once at West Court we will lay down or sit on the grass and a Clare Hall staff member will invite attendees to follow a short guided body scan meditation, focusing on the face, shoulders, hands and feet as applicable.

Free to roam: once we have completed the above activities, you are very welcome to wander our gardens and grounds freely, leaving at a time to best suit your schedule.

Self-guided option: You can also enjoy a self-guided wander if you’d prefer to practice mindfulness solo or with your friends. Please sign up via Eventbrite to receive a digital copy of the Mindful Wander guide, or pick up a paper copy from our Porters’ Lodge.

Please wear comfortable shoes and bring a bottle of water or other refreshment with you.

Clare Hall is a college for advanced study at the University of Cambridge, located close to the University Library and neighbouring Robinson College.

Would you like a better understanding of your current physical health? 

If yes, book in for one of our free ‘Health Checks’ which will take you through some simple, non-invasive tests.

These checks will consist of: -

• Measurement of your height and weight
• Blood pressure test
• Body composition test
• Flexibility test

Please adhere to the following before attending:

• No eating or drinking 4 to 5 hours prior to the test
• No exercise 12 hours prior to the test
• No alcohol or caffeine consumption 24 hours prior to the test
• Wear clothes that allow access to your upper arm (e.g. short sleeved t shirt)

The duration of the health check should be around 20 minutes.

Please note: the results of the health check are not to be taken as firm medical advice. If you have any worries about your health, please consult a medical specialist.

Join Domus Bursar, Philip Isaac, for a tour of King's College's historic chapel. If the weather is suitable, there will be the opportunity to visit the chapel roof.

NB. Access to the roof top is via one of the corner turrets (107 steps) and is not accessible for those with mobility impairments. People attending will be asked to wear stout shoes (no flip flops etc) and must be able to ascend by this manner. Once on the roof, there is space down each side to walk along a duckboard, with a parapet affording protection, although there is the feeling of exposure to those who may have suffer from anxiety over height.

The meeting place will be shown on your booking confirmation email.

Racketball is the UK’s fastest growing sport!

It is played on any regular squash court and is similar to squash. The fact that the ball is bigger, more bouncy, and does not need warming up means that the rallies last longer. The shorter racket also helps with hand eye coordination making the ball easier to strike. If you fancy giving racketball a try, then come and join us for this taster session.

Changing facilities are available on site and the Sports Service can provide a racket and ball if you need one. Please wear indoor trainers.

Eton Fives is a hand-ball game, played in a three-sided court. It is only played as "doubles" (i.e. by two teams of two players).

Players wear padded leather gloves, since the ball (which is slightly large than a golf-ball and made of rubber and cork) is quite hard. Eton Fives can also be referred to as a game of hazards! Rugby Fives, first played at Rugby School, is essentially squash with your hands, but far quicker. Different from Eton Fives, it sees all obstacles removed, a back wall added and a lower line to hit the ball above. The ball is almost like a mini baseball and therefore thick padded gloves are essential for this game.

This session, run by the Sports Service Community Sports Coach will give you the opportunity to try your hand at the two versions of the sport. Changing facilities are available on site and participants are asked to wear trainers. The Sports Service will provide gloves.

Take a break from looking at your screen and join us for a walk around Madingley Park.

The tour will give you the opportunity to get out into nature and explore more of the University estate including the Capability Brown designed parkland.

Get some fresh air and take a tour of the University Farm.

You will get a look at what goes on in the farm as well as the opportunity to see some livestock.

This tour is wheelchair accessible.

The meeting point will be shown on your booking confirmation email.

In this talk, Luisa Fassi from the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit & Department of Psychiatry, will discuss the extent to which existing research can inform us of the effect that social media use has on adolescents’ mental health.

Specifically, Luisa will examine the evidence on the links between different patterns of social media use (e.g., time spent on social media, messaging with friends, posting, exposure to specific content) and different mental health states (e.g., wellbeing and life satisfaction) as well as conditions (e.g., depression, anxiety and eating disorders).

If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. ― Thich Nhat Hanh,

It is easy to rush through the day without noticing our thoughts, feelings and sensations. Mindfulness practice helps us pause and become present, so we get in touch with our authentic experience. We can so easily become entangled in energy draining thoughts that drive our emotions and lead to stress or anxiety. Mindfulness practice helps us notice these thoughts so we can deal with them better. Mindfulness is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). See NHS Mental Health

Esther Hunt is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Registered Psychotherapist. She has been teaching Mindfulness for 5 years and was instructed by bestselling author Dr Patrizia Collard. She provides sessions for HR staff wellbeing services, school leadership teams, University students, and in the charity sector. Esther presented at the Festival of Wellbeing in 2021.

If you miss the present moment, you miss your appointment with life. ― Thich Nhat Hanh,

It is easy to rush through the day without noticing our thoughts, feelings and sensations. Mindfulness practice helps us pause and become present, so we get in touch with our authentic experience. We can so easily become entangled in energy draining thoughts that drive our emotions and lead to stress or anxiety. Mindfulness practice helps us notice these thoughts so we can deal with them better. Mindfulness is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). See NHS Mental Health

Esther Hunt is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Registered Psychotherapist. She has been teaching Mindfulness for 5 years and was instructed by bestselling author Dr Patrizia Collard. She provides sessions for HR staff wellbeing services, school leadership teams, University students, and in the charity sector. Esther presented at the Festival of Wellbeing in 2021.

Homerton's dazzling gardens with over 25 acres of beautiful lawns create a calm, comfortable, and peaceful College environment in Cambridge. You can enjoy the beautiful grounds, orchards, and flowers with head gardener Helen Andre Cripps.

Yin yoga is a slow deep practice perfect for the body and mind to find synchronicity and balance.

While the body lets go of tension held in the muscles, helping you find a soothing deep stretch, yin is suitable for all and simply requires a few yoga blocks, bricks a cushion or three and a space to lie down, if you've a cat or dog that like to stretch with you - perfect!

We'll finish our practice with a yoga Nidra, known as yogic sleep.

This session will be delivered by Sarah-Cate Blake from the Fitzwilliam Museum Learning Team

Life is a risky business with implications for our financial wellbeing. Living longer, working later, career flexibility, and evolving family formations, mean that our financial futures are shaped not only by the decisions we make about our money, but increasingly by the decisions we make about our life.

Join this interactive session with Jane Portas to find out about financial life in the UK, differences in people’s financial life journeys, how financial gaps arise between men, women, and other groups, and what Covid-19 means for all of our financial futures.

Jane will talk about how our mindsets influence our financial life, and introduce “6 Moments That Matter”, which bring together our money and our life, and help us to consider the steps we can take at home, at work and in society to build a secure and fair financial future for everyone.

This event is open to all staff and students.

Jane Portas is a financial expert, author of The Risks in Life Series of award-winning insight reports and financial wellbeing guides, and the creator of 6 Moments That Matter, a unique life-stage approach to help people and organisations to improve fair financial futures. Now a portfolio director, she is a former ‘big 4’ professional services partner where for 30 years she advised financial services firms on strategy, governance, risk, regulation, and customer matters. She is a member of Women’s Business Council, advisor to the charity Surviving Economic Abuse, and a co-founder of Insuring Women’s Futures.

The session will be facilitated by Jenny Rampling, Chair of the University of Cambridge Women’s Staff Network, member of the Women in Higher Education Network team and Senior Programme Co-ordinator, ourcambridge.

Our statistics show that men are significantly underrepresented in accessing counselling at the University Staff Counselling Centre and account for only one third of all referrals. Why might this be?

Are there barriers that stop men speaking openly about their emotions and seek professional help and if so, what are they? 

Come and watch an engaging question and answer session with one of our male staff counsellors being interviewed as he grapples with these issues.  There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.

This session is in-person. An on-line zoom session will be held on 28 June.

Loneliness and isolation are increasing in societies all around the world, particularly in young people. Yet, the effects of loneliness on brain function and cognition are not clear. In this talk, Dr Livia Tomova, will present recent findings on how loneliness impacts brain function and cognition in young adults and adolescents. The implications of this research in the light of mental health problems will be discussed.

Dr Livia Tomova, Henslow Research Fellow and Director of Studies for Psychological and Behavioural Studies,

Professor Barbara J Sahakian and Dr Christelle Langley will present evidence-based methods for improving cognition and wellbeing.

A key focus will be on how to get the perfect night's sleep. Many people have experienced considerable stress over the past couple of years as a result of concerns over climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine and the increased cost of living.

This talk will discuss research showing what you can do to ensure good cognition and wellbeing as well as better physical health.

Professor Barbara J Sahakian - Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology in the Department of Psychiatry.

Dr Christelle Langley - Research Associate in the Department of Psychiatry.

Chef and food writer Rosie Sykes in a collaboration with Bea Brown and Cambridge Sustainable Food spends some time talking about all the good things we can eat and cook in July including talking about surplus produce and how to make the most of food.

Rosie Sykes is a chef, writer & consultant. She has worked with some of the leading names in British food. She had her own pub in central London & has helped establish kitchens for restaurants, delis & hotels nationwide. Rosie has written 3 cookery books & now works mainly on community projects.

King's College has historic landscapes and gardens rich in heritage and beauty.

Spend a summer's afternoon exploring the Provost's secret garden, the wildflower meadow, the Fellows' Garden and the community orchard with Senior Horticulturist Steven Coghill.

Meeting point will be shown on your booking confirmation email.

Join head gardener Oscar Holgate for a mindful wander through Wolfson College’s tranquil gardens.

Engage your senses with the sights and sounds of our plants and wildlife and enjoy Oscar’s insights into the science of why gardens are healthy for us.