Angela Higgs

“We’re helping our council colleagues to lead happy, healthy lives.”

Here at Somerset County Council we have a number of Working Well Champions across the organisation. We spoke to Angela Higgs to find out more.

What does a Working Well Champion do?

My role is to promote events within my team and the wider council, and champion ways of working which enable staff to thrive and not just survive. We encourage everyone to feel able to talk about their challenges, while signposting them to resources like our Working Well SharePoint site. 

Anyone with an interest in helping their colleagues to lead happy, healthy lives, be it simple signposting or by running events, is welcome to join the Champions Network. I have been a Champion for the last 4 years and would highly recommend it.

What do you enjoy about it?

I enjoy collaborating with my fellow Working Well Champions to raise the profile of health and wellbeing, particularly mental wellbeing. Meeting with colleagues you would not otherwise have met through your ‘day job’ really broadens your mind. I would like to think that colleagues feel that the articles I share and the Mindfulness sessions I provide help them to take a Mindful pause for reflection during their busy working days – preventing stress from taking a hold and empowering people to talk through their challenges. 

How does it fit around your role?

I am a Part Time Senior Business Support Officer working 16 hours a week. I am granted 4 hours a month by my line manager to dedicate to my Working Well Champion role. As Network meetings are quarterly and events are shared among Champions, it fits around the time I have available quite well.

Tell us about the events and initiatives that are organised? 

We organise a variety of events across the year to encourage both mental and physical health strategies. Recently, I championed Time to Talk Day, a campaign by Time to Change to encourage everyone to have conversations about mental health. As an organisation, we have multiple avenues for colleagues to open up and take the first step and, on this day, we promoted all of the great services out there.

Angela Higgs, Working Well Champion