HSL-Action For Happiness-Mayor Photos

Here's the Mayor on 28th June 2011 drawing the prize-winner for the 'agoodweek competition'.

And on Friday 1st July, Paula Charlesworth came to collect her prize:

the Mayor of Hastings and St Leonards draws agoodweek prize

And congratulations to Paula for winning the Kindle.
And the dress rehearsal went like this:

Taking a page (at random) out of Graham's book

The Hastings & St Leonards Observer from Friday

This article, from page 17 has been transcribed as follows:
Group is aiming to get Hastings smiling again

An upbeat community group is on a mission to turn the town's frowns upside-down.

The Action for Happiness (AFH) organisation based at the Southwater Centre, Stainsby Street, St Leonards, is determined to make Hastings a happier place to live and is half way through its Good Week scheme.

This has included talks, workshops and complementary health sessions and seen members handing out happiness hints to commuters at St Leonards Warrior Square train station.

Paul Crosland, who heads the group, said "We are concerned that a lot of people -ourselves included - lose track of what is important in life and do not get information about how to stay on an even keel in the turbulence of modern society. Despite all the technology and resources we have, society is less happy than it was"

The AFH programme is based on scientific studies which have identified five key factors that can boost people's happiness -connecting with other people, being active and healthy, learning new skills, giving to others and taking note of the good things in their lives.

These tips have been shared with train passengers every morning this week and Mr Crosland found the range of responses quite revealing. He said:

Some people have said it is wonderful and just what Hastings and St Leonards needs to lift its mood but we have had the occasional person tell us they are not interested in happiness. Some people approach happiness from a body and mind point of view, some think it is about changing things politically and economically and some have a spiritual way in, and we want to bring all these groups together.

The Good Week events continue today (Friday) and tomorrow with film screenings, stress-busting sessions and talks on the group's aims but long-term Mr Crosland hopes they can build on this week's achievements. They are offering Happiness 101 sessions in residents' homes and they want to reach out to professions that work with the public on a regular basis like taxi drivers and hairdressers.

"When those in frequent sustained contact with members of the public have more knowledge of how people can be happier and talk about it, we believe that wellbeing will spread quicker", Mr Crosland said.
Visit actionforhastingshappiness.blogspot.com for more information about the scheme.

Please add your experience of agoodweek (wherever you are in the UK)

- so that we can fill in this board and plan an even better GoodWeek in Hastings & St. Leonards for a few months' time.

Reviewing what we've done is part of a much-valued process called the DreamCycle (from www.chrisjohnstone.info): Dream, Plan,  Do, Review.
We are now in the review stage (with a bit of dreaming the next iteration); please let us know how the ideal next AGoodWeek (at your workplace, home community or elsewhere) might look eg two months from now; then we can plan that and, to quote the observer, "turn those frowns upside down."

& in the wake of the week leave behind a new well-being group or two?:
http://local-well-being-group.blogspot.com/

Sunday reflections on AGoodWeek & the space we have to offer

New link address to this blog to pass onto others:

And please add your comments below on whether the next web address be HastingsForHappiness or HappinessForHastings?
This is discussed in this YouTube clip:

Friday-AGoodWeek-Hastings-Observer-Article & other films

Thursday morning and the glass appears more than half full

Thank you cake

Advice being given that we set up a dating agency

Relationships matter; this suggestion is not one that the group is taking forward so far, though there are free mediation sessions available on Tues 5th, Weds 6th, Thurs 7th, Fri 8th (which could help with couple relationships etc)

How to cope with stress

The theme for Thursday (from 5 a day for wellbeing) is 'Keep learning'. The card offered to commuters on Thursday morning suggests learning a bit more about how to cope with stress.
 These are the words:

HOW TO COPE WITH STRESS

Cultivate gratitude.

Carve out an hour a day for solitude.

Begin and end the day with prayer, meditation, and reflection.

Keep it simple.

Keep your house picked up.

Don’t over-schedule.

Strive for realistic deadlines.

Never make a promise you can’t keep.

Allow an extra half an hour for everything you do.

Create quiet surroundings at home and at work.

Go to bed at nine o’clock twice a week.

Always carry something interesting to read.

Breathe, deeply and often.

Move… walk, dance, run, find a sport you enjoy.

Drink pure spring water. Lots of it.

Eat only when hungry.

Be instead of do.

**************************************

Set aside one day a week for rest and renewal.

Laugh more often.

Luxuriate in your senses.

Always opt for comfort.

If you don’t love it, live without it.

Let Mother Nature nurture.

Don’t answer the telephone during dinner.

Stop trying to please everybody.

Start pleasing yourself.

Stay away from negative people.

Don’t squander precious resources: time, creative energy, emotion.

Nurture friendships.

Don’t be afraid of your passion.

Approach problems as challenges.

Honour your aspirations.

Set achievable goals.

Surrender expectations.

Savour beauty.

Create boundaries.

For every ‘yes’, let there be a ‘no’.

Don’t worry; be happy.

Remember, happiness is a living emotion.

Exchange security for serenity.

Care for your soul.

Cherish your dreams.

Express love every day.

From Simple Abundance

Nigel offering lifts in his Volvo #afhh @AGoodWeek #Hastings

AGoodWeek is like all my birthdays together

film footage of Wednesday morning to be edited into a compilation

Paul -Mediation 101


Pay It Forward tonight:


Conversation with a bicycle & friends:


Sue leafleting debrief:


Martin's book recommendation etc:

a good week for fruit and veg in Southwater

From 4 years of the community veg delivery here ( www.fruitandveg.org ) today's sales are the best ever:

the back of Wednesday's wellbeing card

Savouring every experience is the essence of today's one of 'Five ways for Well-Being'. 

This also means being open to difficulties and noticing what we can and can't do.

The letter in The Hastings & St Leonards Observer 10^th June -”We need to act if we want justice”, said that if we want those who were on the pier last 5^th October to take responsibility for their actions, or anyone else to take some responsibility for something, we have one thing in particular we can do. We can model the change we want to see and take responsibility for something we have done in our past, for which someone else bears a grievance.

The 'Extra Acts of Kindness list' handed out on Monday suggested: “Say sorry. (You know who to)”.

The Grievance questionnaire (online) may help prepare you, and the spirit of agoodweek there's
 a free mediation service available.
Free consultations over your grievances are available by phone or in person 
on Tuesday 5^th July, Weds 6^th, Thurs 7^th, Friday 8^th 
-book via the contact form on www.mediationsupport.info 
or ring/text Paul on the phone number that's on www.telephonemediation.org.uk

www.actionforhastingshappiness.blogspot.com

The stories we tell ourselves determine the life we have

- and the (un)happiness we feel:

Some Wednesday morning commuting friends

Are those who use the station in the early morning friends now that I see them each morning when leafleting? It's beginning to feel that way. Being friendly gets friedliness back. It's not rocket science, this happiness.

And here's the chair of the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust:

Today's 5 ways to Wellbeing card is "take notice"

In St Leonards yesterday (midsummer day) I was lifted by noticing this flower:

"what's the motivation for doing this?"

I was asked at 6am today by a commuter "what's the motivation for doing this?". I replied something about a number of people in the town thinking that there's something that needs doing about well-being here. On reflection, that's not a satisfactory answer for me. Personally I'm trying to get established in this town and connect with people who either want to make a difference or want to tell me that it's not wanted here, and certainly not from an incomer.
++++++++++++++
I hope you find the support you need with all life's ups and downs eg in a local well-being group:
http://local-well-being-group.blogspot.com/

Happiness petition to the Mayor of Hastings & St Leonards

What's on your mind?

-The film Pay It Forward, being shown again tomorrow night (Tuesday 7.30pm-9.30pm) & available via www.streetbank.com

Three questions during A Good Week -and some answers

It may be sometime before all the questions put out this week are answered.
Local people have been returning the cards with the questions on.
Here's one just received:

1) Name a 'good thing' -it doesn't matter how small – that someone is doing in Hastings/ St Leonards?.....

A neighbour puts fresh flowers out in my shared hallway every week 

2) What big change would you like to see so that we create a “more caring & sharing Hastings & StLeonards”?....

I would like to see an annual Hastings Residents Fair/Forum

3) Name one step that you have taken, or will take this week to make it a good week for you & others? 

I have decided to speak to a stranger each day on my daily commute

(Multiple entries welcome; different answers to the questions please. Return entries to the pink building by St Leonards Warrior Sq. Station's Platform 2 i.e. the Southwater Community Centre)

and here's Mark, who is taking on board some of Monday's suggested Extra Acts of Kindness:

TRY
Extra acts
of kindness
Doing things to help others is not only good for the recipients - it has a positive payback for our happiness and health too. When people experience kindness it also makes them kinder as a result – so kindness is contagious!

As the saying goes: "if you want to feel good, do good"
Try performing an extra act of kindness each day.
The act may be large or small and the recipient may not even be aware of it.
Ideally your acts of kindness should be beyond the kind things you already do on a regular basis.
Do at least one extra kind act each day for a week, ideally a different one each day.
Here are some ideas for acts of kindness:

1. Take time to really listen to someone
2. Have a conversation with a stranger
3. Pick up litter as you walk
4. Let someone in front of you in the supermarket queue
5. Tell someone they mean a lot to you
6. Offer your change to someone struggling to find the right amount
7. Buy cakes or fruit for your colleagues
8. Invite your neighbour round for a drink and a chat
9. Tell someone if you notice they're doing a good job
10. Say sorry (you know who to)
11. Forgive someone for what they've done
12. Visit a sick friend, relative or neighbour
13. Buy an unexpected gift for someone
14. Pay for someone in the queue behind
15. Do a chore that you don't normally do
16. Donate your old things to charity
17 Give food to a homeless person and take time to talk with them
18. Visit someone who may be lonely
19. Give blood
20. Get back in contact with someone you've lost touch with
21. Volunteer your time for a charity

(from the Happiness Action Pack at www.actionforhappiness.org)

Wednesday's Fruit & Veg stall at Southwater Community Centre

10.30-12.30 am on a Wednesday, this is the typical range of fruit, veg (& eggs) available and the prices:

-An under-utilised resource in the Southwater area.
www.fruitandveg.org

Food for Mood

Compilation Film Monday AGoodWeek

A film of all highlights of Monday follows:

What about me? the movie at 7pm

This clip is from the series rather than the movie 'What about me?'; nonethless it will suffice to remind all that at 7pm in the Main Hall we have this film on:

The film is also on on Thursday from 5.30-7.30pm

Sherry's parcels to support Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness

Free Amazon Kindle Prize Draw

Free Prize Draw – Win an Amazon Kindle

(Electronic Book Reader):

Name & contact details for entry into draw to win an Amazon Kindle (Electronic Book reader R.R.P. £111):.............................................................................................................

On a piece of paper (or on-line), please answer the three questions & ideally tick the box below:

1) Name a 'good thing' -it doesn't matter how small – that someone is doing in Hastings/ St Leonards?.................................................................................................................................
2) What big change would you like to see so that we create a “more caring & sharing Hastings & StLeonards”?........................................................................................................................

3) Name one step that you have taken, or will take this week to make it a good week for you & others? .......................................................................................................................................

(Multiple entries welcome; different answers to the questions please. Return entries to the pink building by St Leonards Warrior Sq. Station's Platform 2 i.e. the Southwater Community Centre)

TICK BOX QUESTION:

I am fine if you let the Mayor know that I too want unused office space in the Southwater Centre to be made available to the Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness group to develop local well-being groups, to develop more sharing, eg via www.streetbank.com and more Good Weeks: . Please Tick …□

Thank you for helping create a happier Hastings & St Leonards

www.actionforhastingshappiness.blogspot.com

be active & volunteer for handing out these cards please

local stories

Happiness and the morning commute

Here are videos of the Monday morning AGoodWeek leafleting  & the experience of the interface between the happiness agenda and the morning commute.

More volunteers welcome (can provide t-shirts if you want!) for leafleting:

Monday-AGoodWeek

The full programme for AGoodWeek is here; please note the film at 7pm, which was left off some earlier publicity.
Monday's leaflet in AGoodWeek has the following text:

TRY Extra acts of kindness

Introduction

Doing things to help others is not only good for the recipients - it has a positive payback for our happiness and health too. When people experience kindness it also makes them kinder as a result – so kindness is contagious!

As the saying goes: "if you want to feel good, do good"

Try performing an extra act of kindness each day.

The act may be large or small and the recipient may not even be aware of it.

Ideally your acts of kindness should be beyond the kind things you already do on a regular basis.

Do at least one extra kind act each day for a week, ideally a different one each day.

Here are some ideas for acts of kindness:

1. Take time to really listen to someone

2. Have a conversation with a stranger

3. Pick up litter as you walk

4. Let someone in front of you in the supermarket queue

5. Tell someone they mean a lot to you

6. Offer your change to someone struggling to find the right amount

7. Buy cakes or fruit for your colleagues

8. Invite your neighbour round for a drink and a chat

9. Tell someone if you notice they're doing a good job

10. Say sorry (you know who to)

11. Forgive someone for what they've done

12. Visit a sick friend, relative or neighbour

13. Buy an unexpected gift for someone

14. Pay for someone in the queue behind

15. Do a chore that you don't normally do

16. Donate your old things to charity

17 Give food to a homeless person and take time to talk with them

18. Visit someone who may be lonely

19. Give blood

20. Get back in contact with someone you've lost touch with

21. Volunteer your time for a charity

(from the Happiness Action Pack at www.actionforhappiness.org)

The therapies which are still available to be booked are as follows:

streetbank and connecting people

People want things. Not all of these people use www.streetbank.com. It therefore helps if people who know what's on streetbank are in contact with others who aren't and cross-polinate. These magical connectors are called Streetbees and the most magical cross-polination I've seen (even before the start of AGoodWeek) is Sue's wish to get the streetbank offered spade (who has offered it I don't know), to Anita who I met and filmed, but who is off-line and presumably still wanting a spade. Next installment follows soon... Please offer a service to friends who use the web less, and if you are not clear how to offer the service, please call the number on www.telephonemediation.org.uk and we'll take it from there. (Sue is part of the newly formed Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness group that is running AGoodWeek at the Southwater Centre & around between 20th-26th June 2011).


And here's Debbie, who I met today and who then offered to put her collection of healing books in the streetbank depot:

The 'Hastings & St Leonards - Action for Happiness' group intention

Proposed text from Paul:

Hastings & St Leonards -Action for Happiness promotes generosity & works to support a network of local well-being groups, linking in with the national Action for Happiness organisation.

Some of us are happier talking about 'well-being' than 'happiness'; even if happiness is what we are pursuing much of the time.

In groups (as well as in our own private learning) we build and share our vital happiness skills. We value gratitude and celebrate the diversity of backgrounds and beliefs that we each bring about what matters most in life. Some of us try to find ways for there to be wider community benefits from our wish for all to be well & happy.

You can join in by:

1. Attending an Introduction to Happiness (Happiness 101) Session.
2. Going away and reflecting on what you might be able to get from further meetings about happiness, and what you'd like to give to others.
3. Inviting friends and enabling neighbours to join in a local well-being group.
4. Developing a vision of the difference to self and others that your main well-being group wants to make (Here's one example of what a local wellbeing group might work towards: a system called Care4Care which involves those in their 40s, 50s and 60s investing time in caring for neighbours, as inspired by Prof Heinz Woolff here).
5. Finding the strength of mutual-support to make the world around us a place of greater caring, sharing, and well-being.

next week's AGoodWeek got a mention in the local paper last week, but not this week

There was a letter mentioning 20th-26th June's AGoodWeek last week in the local paper; for the full programme see here.


The letter that went this week to the Hastings Observer was perhaps too critical of the prevalent type of journalism that leads us away from happiness?

Try gratitude & generosity 4 AGoodWeek

For a headline that encapsulates the politics of greed and the politics of envy, you couldn't have done much better than last week's: "48 council staff on double the average Hastings wage". How about for just one week, trying gratitude for what we have here and generosity? Gratitude and generosity builds well-being; greed and envy does not. Seeing as the 20th-26^th June is a global celebration of all people, communities and businesses making the world a healthier and happier place, called AgoodWeek – www.agoodweek.com , do come and enjoy local acts of generosity with healing sessions, yoga, films, discussions and an innovative "streetbank" being provided for free at the Southwater Area Community Centre, as part one of the “Hastings & St Leonards - Action for Happiness” activity.

Many thanks for your kindness in printing this,Paul Crosland (actionforhappiness[at]mediationsupport.info) 

We get richer by sharing what we have

Not just another Sunday, I hope? Hopefully one in which we each unleash some of our wealth and get richer by sharing it on streetbank. Next Saturday is not just another Saturday; 4pm at the Southwater Area Community Centre (Mediation Support Ltd Office), St Leonards, is a cup of tea with new streetbank friends and the unleashing of the first http://streetbank.com depot.
My advice is don't just lend to friends; use websites like streetbank, or even the one I co-created (http://freelender.org) to lend what you have and make new friends. What's the risk; something that's minuscule compared to the potential benefits. And if you want me to insure you against the risk of lending stuff to strangers, I will for free. (Offer open primarily to those who attend the 4pm session with tea next Saturday.)

Please print out (or collect) AGoodWeek posters

& stick them up please!

Action for Happiness AGoodWeek (20th-26th June A4 flyer/poster) can be downloaded here. Please print some out and put them up.
And this is the page of Downloadable Resources where other documents will be put for download.

Copies also available from the Southwater Area Centre in colour; please arrange an approximate time to call (before 8pm) by emailing us here.

The flyer for AGoodWeek is ready

Thanks Barry for this flowering of creativity: Action for Happiness AGoodWeek (20th-26th June A4 flyer/poster) can be downloaded here. Please print some out and put them up.
And this is the page of Downloadable Resources where other documents will be put for download.

Copies also available from the Southwater Area Centre in colour; please arrange an approximate time to call (before 8pm) by emailing us here.

Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness group & AGoodWeek in the last lines of this letter

http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/observer-comment/letters

Coincidence or what? Hastings Voluntary Action has an open day during AGoodWeek

Lend-It-All Man gears up (or de-clutters?) for AGoodWeek

From 20th June 2011 the first Streetbank depot will be open; this will be at the Southwater Area Community Centre, right next to Platform 2, St Leonards Warrior Square.
What use will you make of this opportunity for great connections, saving money, saving resources, wider access to the things you want and opportunities to share & learn skills?

Volunteers wanted on Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th June @ #southwater to put all my stuff on www.streetbank.com & have first call on the lending, the freecycling (and the skills) I'm offering.

(On Twitter the hash-tag is #afhh)
Paul
http://www.twitter.com/paulcrosland