About Magenta Living

`Wellbeing Wednesday’, funded wellbeing activities for the benefit of all staff. Magenta Living recently held a two hour event over lunchtime, enabling all staff to attend without disrupting services to their customers. They invited partner organisations such as Wirral Community NHS Trust, who set up an alcohol awareness stall, with free samples from their `Mock tail bar’, alcohol free cocktails; advice on healthy eating including free portions of healthy soup, smoking cessation stall and blood pressure tests and advice on weight and exercise. Other activities included the `smoothie bike’ where staff pedalled a fixed bike with a smoothie attachment to create their own healthy drinks. During the two hours they also had 30 minute classes running in both Tai Chi and Relaxation, together with complimentary therapies such as Back Massage, Riechi and Indian head massage. Our flexible benefits provider Cyclescheme also attended to demonstrate bikes and encourage people to take up the activity, and their local gym provided vouchers for free trials and offered discounts. Besides organising the event they also provided fresh fruit and healthy snacks for all staff attending the event. Comments about `Wellbeing Wednesday’ have included `brilliant sessions, loads of great things to get involved in’, `informative, fun and interesting’, `good to see everyone mingling’. The large scale event is ran twice yearly and supported throughout the year with regular funded activities. The second example of wellbeing innovativion is the access to the `iVan’, operated by Wirral NHS, it visits the Magenta Living office to provide information on cancer and cancer screening. Qualified nurses provided advice on mole changes, early detection of cancers, health promotion and awareness and blood pressure screening. Following a visit in September to the `iVan’ a member of staff Jane Howard was advised by the nurse to consult her doctor for further investigations. Following the screening Jane was referred by her GP to the local hospital who confirmed by the hospital that she would need treatment. Jane commented that `the hospital had said that they were very impressed with Magenta Living using the iVan service, with early diagnosis and referral means problems can be treated.’

At Magenta Living their unique, partnership approach brings positive benefits to the local and wider community as well as securing value for money. Through partnerships they are able to offer an extensive programme of resident training and capacity building, all of which is free to participants. Local organisations such as Wirral Met College, Lifelong Learning and Union learn work with them to provide training in a wide range of topics from dressmaking to computing to key skills such as english and maths. They are able to provide accredited training at their community properties which leads to qualifications assisting residents to become more able to access employment as well as building skills confidence and self worth. Accessing employment opportunities is important within the challenging environment many of their residents face. Their innovative partnership with Job Centre Plus through their Wow (Working on Wirral|) project sites an employment skills advisor within their team, again at no cost to residents accessing the service. Four residents have found jobs within the first month of this exciting pilot project. Their partnership with Partners Credit Union (also sited within their building) has enabled them to set up their Digital Deal scheme where they offer cheap, recycled computer equipment to residents with the option to access affordable credit. This is accomplished by budgeting training and IT qualifications to combat digital exclusion. Partnerships with social enterprises address local issues, put money into the local economy and assist in employing local people. They support a range of social enterprises including 14-19 Wirral which specialises in youth consultation. A member of Magenta Living’s staff sits on its board.

Following Magenta Living’s move to new premises, Partnership Building, launched `Magenta Living Team Challenge’ with the emphasis on `how to make Magenta Living a better place to work’ and the guidance that ideas have to benefit everyone. Each team were asked to come up with an idea that will make Magenta Living a better place to work and were given up to £1000 to make the idea a reality. It was also committed that if the winning idea was specific to Partnership Building, then £1000 was also available to purchase the same item for the new Building Services depot. Ideas were generated through discussion at team meetings and then put to a staff vote. There was a wide range of suggestions including installing a telescope in the staff area (The Observatory), to social events on a Friday, gym equipment and a pool table. The idea was effective as it brought teams together as the `Challenge’ was discussed at Team Meetings and it generated team work, sharing of ideas and also created some fun and a `buzz’ within the teams. Ultimately staff had ownership of the whole process from identifying the ideas to voting on the winner and helping to implement it.