Former GP of three decades shares latest successes of ‘life-changing’ charity aiming to make people happier
A former Northampton GP of three decades has shared the latest successes of a wellbeing charity with the aim of making people happier across the county.
Dr David Smart, who is the chair at Action for Happiness Northants and the clinical director for General Practice Alliance, told the Chronicle & Echo about the difference being made by this volunteer-led initiative.
When asked how he would describe Action for Happiness’ offering across Northamptonshire, David said: “We are a small group of volunteers who work to amplify the national charity’s offer.
“The 10 Keys to Happier Living is an evidence-based and easy-to-offer framework, and we try to think about how to use these in the community across the entire county.”
The Northants branch was formed eight years ago, and the face-to-face and online groups have been described as “life-changing”.
“We’re negatively wired as humans,” said David. “In my own experience as a GP, I was working in a deficit model and needed more serotonin. I needed to look at what was going well and build on that. This is a daily habit we want to encourage.”
One of the charity’s recent successes is supporting the children and young people at Quinton House School on their ‘For Students By Students Mental Health Conference’.
They have also engaged with Northampton College, Northampton School for Boys, the University of Northampton, and the Healthy Schools Teams at North and West Northamptonshire Councils – in what has been “an amazing start to the year”.
The charity recently held a celebration to mark one year of their ‘Community of Practice’, in which time they have come together to grow a movement rooted in kindness, connection and community wellbeing.
This has become a vibrant network of champions, partners and local leaders, and 62 people attended the “joyful celebration” of all they have built together so far.
Action for Happiness’ offering continues to be built into the induction processes at workplaces and organisations, as well as at educational institutions, libraries, churches and landmark locations like Delapre Abbey.
David said: “Why do we want to be healthy and have more money? It’s because we want to be happier and help others around us. The 10 Keys to Happier Living is something we can all use. It’s open to all.
“The Action for Happiness app has all the resources on it. It has daily nudges, a calendar in 30 different languages, and encourages people to engage with the talks from international speakers.
“The biggest opportunity is to become a volunteer and after doing a course, people run their own groups. The goal is a social movement.”
Looking to the future of Action for Happiness in our county, David shared his hope that more people will adopt the Happiness Habits and consider spreading the word in their own communities.
The charity is currently in ‘Joyful June’, as there is a different theme each month, and the aim is to encourage people to continue caring for themselves and others around them in their own way.