What makes you happy about living on the Isle of Man? What do you want a future Isle of Man to look like for your children and grandchildren? And what do we need to do – or to change – to ensure the Isle of Man stays a great place to live and work?

These are some of the questions that local communities will be asked in Wellbeing Week which takes place 22nd to 25th February. The initiative will see a number of workshops held around the Island with the aim of identifying what makes a strong, vibrant local community and what gives people a sense of wellbeing about their daily lives.

The event is being run by EcoVannin in association with the Network of Wellbeing (NOW) and Friends of the Earth (FoE). Both NOW and FoE have worked extensively on wellbeing projects in the UK and EcoVannin is delighted to have secured the services of Dr Larch Maxey, projects manager at NOW, to facilitate the workshops.

During the week, Dr Maxey and Richard Dyer, Economics Campaigner at FoE, will also give a presentation to members of Tynwald on the benefits of focussing policy on delivering wellbeing.

Muriel Garland, chair of EcoVannin, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to take a little time out from our everyday lives and reflect on what is important to us as residents of the Isle of Man.

“These workshops offer a chance for us to think about how we would really like things to be, to see that we each have an important contribution - and to consider where we should be directing our energy and efforts to create happy and healthy lives for ourselves and future generations.”

The workshops, which are free to attend, all start at 6.30pm and take place as follows:

Ramsey Town Hall – Monday 22nd February
Douglas Town Hall – Tuesday 23rd February
Southern Community Centre – Wednesday 24th February
Philip Christian Centre, Peel – Thursday 25th February

People of all ages and viewpoints are welcome. The workshops are interactive events and participants will be invited to discuss ideas in small groups and to work with others to take their ideas forward following the workshop.

For more information and to confirm attendance please email ecovannin@gmail.com or call 395224. More details available on www.ecovannin.im/wellbeing.  

You can also follow events on social media using the hash tag #wellbeingiom

Photo - Dr Larch Maxey of the Network of Wellbeing will be facilitating the Wellbeing workshops on the Isle of Man later this month.