The College Summer Wellbeing Fest will be taking place on Thursday 3 July. This year we have an extensive range of wellbeing activities on offer for staff to enjoy including surfing, pet therapy, massages, arts and crafts, hypnotherapy and our infamous pickleball tournament to round the day off. More details on how to book on a session will be shared shortly….
The results are in!
220 GCS staff have over the month of March formed 42 teams and collectively walked an incredible 65 million steps as part of the March the Month team step challengeto help raise awareness of Prostate Cancer.
The initiative was also to encourage staff to become more active, and saw departments across the college uniting in a shared mission to move more, feel better, and support an important cause. What started as a friendly bit of competition quickly turned into a powerful display of community and determination.
Teams tracked their steps daily via the big challenge app, with the aim of walking from Swansea to Edinburgh a distance of 425 miles. The enthusiasm was contagious, with walking meetings, lunchtime strolls, and post-work power walks becoming the new norm around the campuses.
And with over 65,532,732 steps walked, ran and crawled we stepped ourselves to Edinburgh over 60 times. We also run the equivalent of 1,236 marathons or walked the entire Welsh Costal Path 37 times.
The first teams to reach Edinburgh were the Finance Department and Cleaning Team Gor, and the individual who did the most steps in the quickest time was Sue Parsons, so a huge congratulations to all involved.
The real win, though, is the awareness raised around prostate cancer—one of the most common cancers among men in the UK. Approximately 1 in 8 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year and early detection is important to making a good recovery. The College has offered all staff, regardless of age, a free PSA test on campus. To date 63 male staff have had a check and 4 men were later diagnosed with prostate cancer. We are pleased to say that we will be offering more checks at Jubilee Court and Llwyn y Bryn in June, more details on when these will be taking place will be released shortly.
One step at a time, GCS is making a difference.
This May, ColegauCymru are organising an FE Multisport event in partnership with Welsh Triathlon, Carmarthenshire County Council, Coleg Sir Gar, AoC Sport, Welsh Government and Welsh Cycling. It is promoting Active Wellbeing across college settings and recognising the benefit of being active on positive mental health for staff and learners.
The event has two formats:
Beginners Duathlon* – 1km Run / 4km Bike / 1km Run
- This is not a competitive event but ideal for staff looking to try a multisport event for the first time, similar to “Couch to 5k”
- You will only need some sports kit and a pair of trainers, all bikes and helmets are provided
* If you think it would be too much to do the full event on your own you can pair up, with one person doing the bike ride and one person running/walking.
Competitive Duathlon, 5k Run / 20km Bike / 2.5km run
- More suitable for staff with more experience of running and cycling including competitive multisport athletes
- Participants can bring their own bikes and equipment or make use of the bikes provided
This is a great way to get active, if you’ve never exercised before or if you’re more experienced to get back into live events.
You won’t be on your own, you’ll be able to receive support and advice from Christian Regis, Staff Fitness Coach and be part of a Teams Group for extra support, where you will be able to receive training/recovery /nutrition tips.
If you would like to participate, please register your interest* by emailing Claire.Bickford@gcs.ac.uk by no later than Monday, 31 March.
* you would need to confirm with your line manager that you could be released on 14 May to participate
Monday, 3 – Monday, 31 March
March is Prostate Cancer Awareness month.
March the Month is a virtual step challenge to encourage us to get active and beat prostate cancer.
Join us by forming a team within your department and race other teams to reach Edinburgh, 425 miles away, by the end of March.
All you have to do is ……
- Form a team of up to 6 within your department (Team name must be your department, eg HR 1, HR 2 etc)
- Choose a Team Leader who will be Admin for your Team
- Everyone download the app, with the link/QR code below, register and sync your fitbit, phone or garmin.
- And then…. WALK… All steps count…. the ones around campus, on your daily dog walk, whilst shopping, or hiking up Pen y Fan on the weekend. Your steps will sync within the app and you will be able to track your Teams progress and see how well other Teams are doing
Every team that reaches Edinburgh will win a prize!
COMING SOON….
March is Prostate Cancer Awareness month.
This year Prostate Cancer UK are running a step challenge to encourage everyone to keep active and beat prostate cancer.
To mark Prostate Cancer Awareness month, GCS will be running our own inhouse March the Month virtual step challenge and staff are encouraged to form a team within your department and walk collectively and virtually all the way to Edinburgh, a distance of 425 miles, by the end of March.
Everyone who reaches Edinburgh will win a prize!
More details to follow……
Money and Pensions Webinar on Financial Wellbeing
Thursday, 13 February, 12.30 pm – recording link
GCS were pleased to liaise with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to deliver a webinar on the service they provide, and to advise on all things money.
In this session, Lawrence Davies, Partnerships Manager for Wales at the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), provided an overview of their free consumer MoneyHelper platform and the various tools and calculators staff can use to boost their financial wellbeing. Lawrence also gave a briefing on pensions and the services that MoneyHelper has to offer to help staff plan for the future.
MaPS are an independant and impartial organisation set up by the Government and funded by levies from the financial services industry. They give FREE unbiased money and pensions guidance to help people make informed choices and their vision is that everyone makes the most of their money and pensions. Visit their website to find out more https://maps.org.uk/en
In addition, MaPS has a consumer brand “Money Helper” which has relevant tools, guides, calculators and information for the public on everything from pocket money to pensions. To find out more visit https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en
With people grappling with ongoing cost-of-living pressures, it is no surprise that over half of UK adults don’t feel confident in making decisions about financial products and services. Therefore, talking about money has never been so important. Did you know that:
- Around 13% of UK adults (approximately 6.8 million people) are struggling to pay for essential costs like rent and council tax (Citizens Advice Bureau, 2025)
- 62% of UK adults have financial worries, especially among younger adults (Schroders Personal Wealth, 2025)
- 79% of those with financial concerns experience impacts on mental wellbeing (Schroders Personal Wealth, 2025)
So let’s all start talking about money and build money conversations into our everyday lives. This will help build financial confidence and resilience to face income shocks, life events and whatever life throws at us.
To view a recording of the session, please click here HERE
Thursday is Time to Talk Day, the nations biggest mental health conversation. So take some time to join your colleagues in a walk around your campus, have a cuppa and cake or join the online mental health based quiz with the chance to win a prize! Whatever you do, try to come together with colleagues, friends and families to talk, listen and change lives.
The Orchard Project will be running a series of sessions over the coming months to give staff the opportunity to learn more about Orchard planting and restoration.
Details of this weeks session:
- Learn how to espalier fruit bushes and master pruning techniques.
- Run by Witchhazel, our local expert from The Orchard Project Swansea.
- Wednesday 15 January 2025 at 15:30 – 17:00
- Green Hwb, Hill House
Christmas is coming to GCS!
We are pleased to release the first communications about what is coming on Christmas Wellbeing Fest day on Thursday 19 December.
There are a wide range of activities planned for this year including hot pod yoga, nordic walking, wreath making, cold water dipping, board game cafes and PSA testing for men.
Some activities are booked up early so please keep an eye out for further details on when the booking system is open to make a booking.
More info to follow…..
The Orchard Project will be running a series of sessions over the coming months to give staff the opportunity to learn more about Orchard planting and restoration.
The first session is taking place on Tuesday 12 November at 15:30 – 17:00 at the Green Hwb, Hill House. You can book your place on the session through the Booking System.
The session will be run by Witchhazel, our local expert from The Orchard Project, Swansea.