Nottinghamshire County Council in association with charity The Kaleidoscope Plus Group will be offering free mental health self-care community workshops to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.

The workshops are available for people over the age of 16 across Nottinghamshire and are designed to improve mental health and encourage mindfulness by focusing on the five ways to wellbeing – connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give.

A workshop will also be held at Mansfield Library on Tuesday, May 24th where people will hear how relationships with our friends, family and colleagues are fundamental to maintaining positive mental health and wellbeing.

Nottinghamshire County Council’s Public Health Chairman and Chairman of the Nottinghamshire Health and Wellbeing Board, Coun Joyce Bosnjak believes the workshops will prove beneficial as they will encourage people to enhance their existing relationships or build new friendships.

She said: “In keeping with this year’s theme of relationships, the first top tip is to connect with the people around you, including family, friends, neighbours and colleagues.

“Our relationships are fundamental to our health and wellbeing, so it’s vital that we spend time investing in the quality of these.

“One in four of us will be experiencing a mental health problem at any given time, with the most common issues including depression, stress and anxiety.

“We hope to be able to spread the message to our local communities that people do not need to struggle alone.”