PHA Take 5 Points Used To Set Up Photography Challenge
A Downpatrick mental health and wellbeing charity has run a photographic contest to help boost the quality of life using a tried and tested model by the Public Health Agency (PHA).
The Life Change Changes Lives (LCCL) ‘Take Five’ project was a photography challenge using the Public Health Agency Take 5 model to wellbeing.
Link to the PHA Take 5 steps to wellbeing model:
https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/news/pha-promotes-take-5-steps-wellbeing-local-council-areas
Ailish Teague, Project Manager at LCCL, said: “We used the Take 5 points as our photography subjects over a matter of weeks, each person taking photos of the subject each week.
“Winners of the weekly photography challenges were featured on our Facebook page, and we used the winning photographs of each category to print on clothing which can be worn featuring their photograph and the Take Five message it addresses when outdoors exercising.
“All the photography entries are featured in a Photobook which each entrant will receive along with a printed T-shirt to commemorate their participation in the contest. The overall winner of the competition Ms Ashley Leach who won a Digital Camera Kit to encourage her to continue with exercise outdoors and her new interest in photography.
“A special award of A3 Photographic Paper was also funded by LCCL and awarded by Director Kieran Casement to participant Colm Young in recognition of his huge efforts to encourage all other participants in the competition giving inspiration and ideas for photographs from his own skilled photography background.”
Ailish Teague said: “Our aims of the photo contest were to encourage people to get outdoors again in a social environment within government guidelines, to encourage exercise in order to:
• promote wellness and good mental health,
• address isolation and loneliness by connecting people through a joint objective,
• provide a valued prize relevant to the competition which inspired and encouraged people to contribute and to promote the competition through social media.
“The objectives of Life Change Changes Lives through this Newry Mourne and Down PCSP-funded project were the encouragement of people outdoors, encouraging exercise and by just being able to see other people while out walking and being able to have a conversation at a safe distance. This can greatly reduce the isolation factor.
“At Life Change Changes Lives, we use the Take 5 ethos in our wellbeing education and training and have completed 8 weeks of online cookery lessons to underline the ethos of Healthy Body, Healthy Mind. We wanted to encourage people to get outside and take part in life again,” added Ailish.
