“I grew up playing football, and back then there weren’t any role models you could watch in stadiums. So it’s nice to see how things have changed.”
A major sports fan, Abby has managed to turn her passion into a career. Being the Wellbeing Manager is all about how sport and physical activity support wellbeing. Abby works in the Move team, part of the Property Division, which encourages students and staff to get active. “My role is about encouraging people to increase their physical activity levels.”
Abby has spent most of her career in the higher education sector, where she loves the buzz of working with young people. “I love the energy that the students bring to Imperial. The start of the academic year is really exciting, especially for those coming to university for the first time, and it’s great being a part of that journey.”
Women at Imperial Week
One of Move’s initiative is Move Learn which includes talks, events and workshops around health and wellbeing. “We try to be insight-led and deliver sessions on what people want to hear about. We get a lot of requests on women’s health, so I’m looking forward to our events for Women at Imperial Week. We’ve got sessions on the menstrual cycle, menopause and endometriosis. It’s good to cover topics that aren’t discussed much in a work context.”
Move is also hosting a range of events and sessions like Girls Night In where women can try out different activities from basketball to pilates and the gym.
Outside of Women at Imperial Week, there’s wellbeing support all year round. One initiative founded by Abby is the Staff Menopause Network which is for staff members to learn and share experiences. “It’s a very informal network for colleagues to come together and provide peer-to-peer support whilst learning more about the menopause.”
Abby thinks Women at Imperial Week is a good chance to celebrate our achievements that aren’t often talked about. “People do incredible stuff at Imperial and a lot of the time you don’t get to hear it as we’re all focused on our day-to-day roles. I meet many women from different faculties, departments and areas of work, and I’ll often come out of a conversation feeling really inspired.”
Researching the benefits of physical activity
Another aspect of Abby’s role is contributing to research on the role of sport and physical activity in wellbeing. One project in conjunction with the School of Public Health studied the Move More initiative – a ten-week programme to get people who are inactive doing more physical activity.
Abby is also working with the Centre for Higher Education Research and Scholarship exploring the impact of activity on student wellbeing. “It’s only recently we’ve been involved in research, but I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen. We believe in the power of sport and physical activity at Move and it’s great to have some evidence to back that up.”
Taking her work home
Unsurprisingly, sport plays a big part in Abby’s life outside of work, and she loves to go and watch live sport. Although she hung up her own football boots a while ago, she’s still a huge football fan and enjoys seeing how the women’s game has grown. “I grew up playing football, and back then there weren’t any role models you could go and watch in stadiums. So, it’s nice to see how things have changed.”
In total contrast to the adrenaline buzz of sport, Abby also enjoys knitting. “I’m currently trying to master knitting socks, which has been a challenge. I like how knitting absorbs all your focus and takes your mind off everything else. It’s also nice to have something to show at the end, provided it doesn’t unravel and fall apart!”