The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) provide fire and rescue services for the Durham and Darlington areas. CDDFRS have recently been awarded the Maintaining Excellence award once again, after being Better Health at Work Award Ambassadors for over a decade! Read their Shining Star blog below!

Why did you decide to sign up to the BHAWA?
The wellbeing of our staff is a key strategic priority for Country Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service. The Service therefore decided to sign up to the Better Health at Work Award (BHAWA) as we saw this as a fantastic opportunity to help improve the health and wellbeing of our employees. The Service also wanted to support the BHAWA as a local initiative and could also envisage the benefits of collaborating with other organisations within the region as a result of signing up to the award.
How do you find that the award benefits the organisation, and its employees?
We find that the award benefits the organisation as it provides structure and set criteria to work towards. Part of this criteria is to undertake a minimum of 5 health campaigns throughout the year and this is one area that we feel significantly benefits the organisation and the employees. The campaigns provide opportunities for staff to get involved in a number of health and wellbeing related activities, many of which are chosen by them through the Health Needs Assessment which gives the organisation direction in terms of what campaigns to focus on. The award also helps raise awareness throughout the Service which ensures staff are more educated on important subjects such as cancer, mental health and the menopause for example.
What kind of activities have you organised in line with the award so far?
Since starting the award a wide range of activities and awareness events relating to health, fitness and wellbeing have been organised. These include:
Fitness classes including Pilates and HIIT workouts
Health checks
Healthy eating workshops
Mental health awareness
Physical activity challenges
Blood pressure stations
Menopause awareness
Cancer awareness workshops
Plus many more!
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