Wellbeing Calendar

Paul Merson is a former professional footballer with Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Walsall, playing for some of the game’s most well-known managers including George Graham, Bryan Robson, Graham Taylor, Harry Redknapp, Glenn Hoddle and Arsene Wenger.

The most successful part of his playing career was during his time at Arsenal where he won two Football League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. He was also capped 21 times by England, making his debut in 1991 against Germany and playing in both the 1992 European Championship and 1998 World Cup.

Paul lived life to the full during his football career, had highs and lows, good times and bad times – however, all the battles he faced on the pitch were nothing compared to those off it. His many achievements in the game were accomplished despite a long battle with alcohol, drug and gambling addictions.

When he retired from football Paul carved out a successful career in the media with Sky television as a pundit on the Soccer Saturday show and also has become a very popular after dinner speaker.

In 2019 while appearing on the documentary Harry's Heroes: The Full English, Paul opened up about how his gambling addiction had affected his life, and his continued struggles with the addiction. He received praise for his candid discussion of the topic. He has also spoken about how his drink, drug and gambling habits also fuelled his struggles with his mental health.

Monday Meditation

Meditation and mindfulness practices can not only improve our mental wellbeing mood, quality of life and attention – it can also help in increased focus, resilience, and improved decision-making. The key benefits of meditation and mindfulness training are that it can help you stay focused, calm and organized; help you reduce distractions; and improve your resilience to challenges.

Satish Chadha is clinical lead for the diabetic eye screening program in Northamptonshire. Besides his ophthalmology skills, Mr. Chadha has an interest in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), hypnosis, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), wellbeing and personal development. He is a professionally trained mentor in health care organisations and is also a certified mindfulness teacher and meditation coach.

Below is a video from Mr Chadha sharing the basics of meditation, focused breathing and the mantra meditation technique.

Resilience It's all about you

This session offers a time to stop, pause and self-reflect before we learn and move onwards.

Mindful Drawing

This art session introduces drawing as a way to help with focus and relaxation. It makes use of easily accessible materials with a focus on shape, mark-making and pattern.

Managing financial anxiety

With the cost of living increasing, this Stronger Together session will discuss some tools and techniques that can help us manage anxiety and stress around finances. Yasmin Bailey will touch on how to manage worry, reduce anxiety and challenge our unhelpful behaviours!