Social care worker wins award for dreaming big

A Warrington social care worker has been recognised for ‘dreaming big’.

Beverly Brindle was praised by employer Making Space after setting up popular free mindfulness sessions at Warrington Day Service, which supports people living with mental health problems.

Beverly, who works as a volunteer coordinator, was rewarded with a Living Our Values award by the national adult health and social care charity, which employs over 1000 people.
She says that she came up with the idea for the mindfulness sessions after realising that many of the people who attend Warrington Day Service, on Allen Street, were struggling with intrusive thoughts and finding it difficult to relax.

Beverly’s manager, Stephanie Dolan, said: “Bev has taken on some extra training and has created her own mindfulness class here at the Warrington Day Service, which has proven incredibly popular among our service users, with around 20 people attending each session.
“Not only has she been supporting others to try new things by attending the class, she also had to overcome her own nerves to do what’s best for the people she supports. Bev has really grown in self-confidence and worked hard to make sure each session was built around the needs of the people she supports.”

Beverly said: “I decided to do some research into mindfulness after one of our visiting guests came in to speak to our service users about using the technique to relax. After taking some online training, I suggested the idea to Steph, my manager, and she agreed that I could offer it as a service for a few weeks.
People who struggle with mental health problems often focus on the past and have negative thought patterns, so what I wanted to do was help them to be in the present, not judge themselves or dwell on past negative experiences, and use a series of exercises and techniques to help create a more positive and calm mindset.
The sessions covered things like taking notice of your senses, being aware of the environment, mindful eating, recognising and acknowledging negative thought patterns, daily affirmations, positivity and self-care.”

Beverly said that the mindfulness group has not only been a positive experience for the people who use the service, but that setting it up has also boosted her own self-esteem.
She said: “My mindset has completely changed since I started researching mindfulness, planning the sessions and working with our service users. I recognise negative thoughts and conversations for what they are and turn them into positives, always look for the good in every day, and I’m grateful to get up every morning and work with such lovely volunteers, colleagues and people who come into the service.
It sounds like a cliché, but coming to work every day is like coming into my second home with one big extended family. Being given an award for doing something I love is an added bonus.”

Beverly received a certificate and voucher from Making Space’s chief people officer Phil Orton.

He said: “Our teams work so hard to support the people they work with, so we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to help them to do that.
We want to recognise and celebrate the things people do every day to make someone’s day meaningful – often, they don’t even realise themselves. It’s very important to us to highlight the little acts of kindness and the things our teams do that go above and beyond, not because they’re expecting a reward, but simply because they care.
Bev is a great example of someone who gives her all – she dreams big, she exceeds expectations, she’s creative and flexible and she supports others to explore new things – even when it takes her out of her own comfort zone.
We’re very proud to give her this Living our Values award in recognition of that.”

Warrington Day Service offers activities and support for people living with mental health problems. Social activities include arts and crafts, cooking classes, a lunch club, bingo, reading and poetry groups. Qualified support workers are on hand to offer talking support for people who feel anxious, depressed or lonely. You can contact the service on T: 01925 652204