Rebecca Williams, the widow of inspirational cancer campaigner Irfon Williams, is backing a new drive to improve the mental wellbeing of people in North Wales.

Irfon, a former UK Nurse of the Year, was a passionate advocate of the need for children and young people to talk about mental health issues during his 25 year career as a mental health nurse and manager.

After being diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in January 2014, the father-of-five captured the hearts of people across North Wales and further afield with his positivity and determination to help others.

Following his death in May this year, aged just 46, his wife Rebecca, herself a Registered Psychiatric Nurse, says that focusing on small every day actions to look after her mental wellbeing is helping her and her young children Sîon and Ianto through the grieving process.

She’s lent her support to a new campaign led by Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board’s Public Health Team to encourage people across North Wales to embrace the 5 Ways to Wellbeing.

Research shows that focusing on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, which encourage people to connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give, can boost personal wellbeing.

The campaign is being launched to coincide with the NHS’ national Self Care Week, which runs from the 13th – 19th November.

Rebecca said: “When Irfon was diagnosed with cancer it became more important than ever for us to practice what we preach, and we focused very heavily on the small every day actions we could take to look after our mental health, to see us through what was a very difficult time.

“Focusing on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing was especially useful for Irfon at the time, and it’s helping me now as I go through the process of grieving.

“Simple things like getting some gentle exercise, spending time with people whose company you enjoy, learning new skills and taking notice of the positive things in life can really help you to feel better, even when life gets especially tough.

“Giving back to the local community through the #TeamIrfon fundraising campaign also helped to give our wellbeing a boost, and I’m really proud that the campaign is still helping others.”

BCUHB’s Public Health Team hope to promote a greater understanding of the factors associated with wellbeing in order to encourage individuals to improve the wellbeing of themselves and of those around them.

The campaign will also encourage employers to create supportive environments for employees to participate in five ways activities, while community groups can play a role by developing community activities which promote wellbeing.

Teresa Owen, Executive Director of Public Health at BCUHB, said:

“The 5 ways to wellbeing are simple things to build into our lives every day to give our wellbeing a boost. Research shows that small improvements in wellbeing can help to decrease some mental health problems and help us to flourish.

“Connecting with people, going for a short walk, noticing the environment we live in, doing something nice for a friend and trying something new all have a positive impact.

“Good mental wellbeing doesn’t mean that we never experience feelings or situations that we find difficult, but it means we feel we have the resilience to cope when things get tough.”

For more information on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing please visit http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/861/page/93956/