Forth Valley College achieves health and wellbeing award

Forth Valley College has been awarded the Walking Scotland Walk at Work Award for its dedication to improving staff health and wellbeing.

Employees at the College’s Campuses in Falkirk, Stirling and Alloa have been encouraged to walk and move more during the working day through initiatives such as lunchtime “Walk and Talk” sessions, walking meetings, participation in national Step Count Challenges and the introduction of standing desks and walking pads to staff workrooms.

All these initiatives – organised by FVC’s Active Travel Coordinator Katie Johnstone, Walking and Cycling Officer Larissa Purves in the Estates Department (pictured) and Susanne Morgan, FVC’s Health and Wellbeing Officer in the Human Resources Department -  aim to improve staff wellbeing and make activity a normal part of the working day.

By promoting walking as an easy way to get to and from work and meetings, FVC are reducing their carbon footprint and helping to reduce congestion and emissions in all their campuses.

Accepting the Walk at Work Award, FVC’s Active Travel Coordinator Katie Johnstone, said: “Achieving the Walk at Work Award is a fantastic milestone for Forth Valley College and reflects the enthusiasm of our staff across all three campuses. We want to make movement a normal and achievable part of the working day whether that’s a short walk at lunch, a walking meeting, or simply taking a few minutes to step away from the desk.

“We know small changes can make a big difference to both physical health and mental wellbeing, and it has been really encouraging to see staff supporting each other and building new habits together. The award recognises the positive culture that is growing across the College, and we’re excited to keep building on this so that active travel becomes part of everyday life at FVC.”

Susanne Morgan, FVC Health and Wellbeing Officer, said: “It has been fantastic working with the Active Travel team to achieve this award. This marks another positive step in our ongoing commitment to enhancing Health and Wellbeing support and initiatives for all staff, helping to promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle.”

Recent findings from UK workplaces reveal that half of all employees experience poor mental health at work, including stress, anxiety and depression. Regular walking can reduce the effects of poor mental health, particularly walking in greenspace.

Scotland’s walking and wheeling charity Walking Scotland set up the award to help tackle poor health in the workplace and reverse the trend of inactive workplaces where staff sit for up to nine hours a day. The charity provided {enter org} with one-to-one support to set up activities to get their workforce walking.

Michelle Jeffcott, Head of Income Generation at Walking Scotland, urges all Scottish workplaces to take their employees’ health seriously.

She said: “Congratulations to Forth Valley College for achieving our Walk at Work Award. It’s brilliant to see Scottish workplaces take the lead in creating a work-based walking culture and making improvements to staff health and wellbeing.”

“Research shows that employees who are physically active in and around the working day take fewer sick days, are more motivated and productive, and are more able to concentrate, so walking is not just good for us, it’s good for business.

“I would urge any Scottish workplace to follow Forth Valley College’s lead and use Walking Scotland’s support to take small steps to a healthier, happier workforce.”

Taking part is free and open to any Scottish workplace that wants to promote an active workforce. Find out more: Walking Workplaces – Walking Scotland