School pupils from Gosport enjoy ‘brilliant’ active mindfulness fun as they celebrate winning county-wide ‘walk to school’ challenge

After taking home the gold in the Hampshire Walktober 2021 school competition, youngsters at Gomer Junior School took part in games-based activities led by mental health organisation The Mind Runner.

Gomer Junior School has a committed team of Junior Road Safety Officers, and promotes walking to school all year round.

The whole school took part in the sessions, which were held on February 28.

The Mind Runner encouraged pupils to take time to focus on their well being, with each class taking part in an active session which allowed pupils and adults to concentrate on their mental health through physical activity.

Alex, one of the students who took part in the session, said: ‘The trainers were very kind and energetic which made me feel energetic.

‘The activities were fun and encouraged us to get up and move.

Pupils and staff had to walk, jog, run and skip through each activity.

Towards the end, everyone was given time to calm their heartbeat and encouraged to take a few minutes to think about what makes them happy.

School pupil Seren said: ‘During our mindfulness activities, we did running, skipping, walking and jumping. It was very active and lots of fun.

‘At the end, the trainers allowed us to calm down and do breathing exercises. I would love to do this again.’

Fellow pupil Robyn added: ‘I really enjoyed the physical aspect of the morning. Also being able to close your eyes and just think was amazing. Mindfulness is important and brilliant.

‘Working with others I would not normally work with was interesting and we all showed great teamwork.’

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Mary, another student, said: ‘The activity was really fun and helped us focus on our mental health as well as general fitness.

‘We got to have some time to relax by closing our eyes and focusing on our breathing.’

Blake, another pupil who took part, added: ‘I enjoyed today’s mindfulness activity because we learnt about how important it is to focus on our health and wellbeing.

‘We did activities that were fun and enjoyable for all.

‘I learnt that being active and doing exercise can have a positive impact on my mental health.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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