MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2025
Pebbles for the Community
During Mental Health Awareness Week 2025, the Brightstar Group Team will be painting pebbles for the community. Workshops will be led by the Mental Health First Aid Team and all team members will be encouraged to paint their own unique pebble in a specially created environment that will be conducive to creativity, conversation, relaxation and mindfulness. Enhanced by music and refreshments, our environment will be a ‘no phone zone’ and will encourage specially selected groups of team members to interact with colleagues from across the business, whilst engaging in this creative activity.
The inspiration behind this project came from a Facebook group called ‘Love on the Rocks UK’. This is a Facebook group that was set up in March 2017, and in 10 short months has nearly 60,000 members. Its concept is simple; paint a rock, write Love on the Rocks UK on the back and hide it.. and brighten someone’s day when they find it!
Benefits for our community
Connecting with Others:
Pebble painting can be a social activity, allowing individuals to connect with others and share their creations. Writing positive and inspirational messages on stones for others to find can become a form of therapy and has shown to have enormous benefits for those who suffer from anxiety, depression and self–esteem issues
Random Acts of Kindness:
Painting pebbles with messages of kindness and leaving them in public places can promote positive community interactions.
Community Projects:
Pebble painting can be incorporated into community projects, such as painting rocks for local events or charities.
Community Walks
Once painted, our beautiful pebbles will then be distributed by the team in the local community during specially organised community walks led by our Mental Health First Aid Team. Our groups will take different routes around the locality, with the aim of distributing the pebbles in different places and spaces...
Benefits of walking
Walking offers numerous benefits for mental wellbeing. Physical activity releases endorphins (chemicals that promote happiness) whilst we move. It also reduces levels of stress hormones like cortisol, boosting our ability to relax and unwind. Being outdoors on a walk also exposes us to natural light, which can further improve our mood. It also tops up our levels of vitamin D, and fosters a sense of accomplishment and control, all of which help improve self-esteem and confidence. Numerous studies indicate a link between walking and reduced anxiety and depression. Walking promotes a sense of ease, with many people finding that walking in nature provides a calming effect on the mind that reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. While it is never a standalone treatment, a daily walking routine can complement other therapeutic approaches for managing these problems.
