ISLE OF MAN – Microgaming celebrates the end of a successful Wellness Week with a £700 charity donation to Alzheimer’s Society Isle of Man.

The week commencing 14th March 2016 saw a health wave wash over Microgaming’s headquarters, MGS House, in the Isle of Man. The Wellness Week initiative, now in its third year, saw a selection of taster experiences and sports sessions offered to employees at Microgaming and Derivco Isle of Man to promote good health and wellbeing.

Sessions ranged from nutrition talks with local dietician Zita Ronald, to body composition analysis studies from Carrefour Health Club. There was even a round of Wellness Week Bingo in which one lucky employee won a FitBit! An active take on the usually more relaxed game, Wellness Week Bingo involved staff completing a series of challenges over the course of the week such as ‘take a selfie at the gym’ or ‘try a new sport’. In addition, all staff received an infuser water bottle, to which fresh fruit can be added, promoting hydration with naturally flavoured water, rather than sugary drinks.

Staff also benefitted from a visit from a local opticians practice and a special Pilates class, alongside regular workouts in Microgaming’s free on-site gym. One big addition to this year’s Wellness Week was the MGS House blood drive.

Less than 2% of the island population give blood, and Noble’s Hospital is always seeking donors to come forward to ensure they maintain a reliable supply of blood for all the people who need it. So, on the Wednesday, Noble’s Hospital nurses kindly attended the workplace and set up a mobile blood suite for the day. A total of 28 employees between Microgaming and Derivco Isle of Man donated a pint, amounting to 15% of the total workforce. In return, Microgaming agreed to donate £25 per donor to a charity of their choice, which was the Manx-registered, Alzheimer’s Society.

“Wellness Week sounds like such a great initiative. Well done to all the 28 individuals that gave blood; it’s a service you never know when you’ll need. I’m most grateful to receive £700 from Microgaming on behalf of the charity. The money will be directly invested to dementia care on the Isle of Man.” Grahame Bell, Services Manager at Alzheimer’s Society Isle of Man

“Whilst we promote health and wellbeing all year-round with daily deliveries of fresh fruit and an on-site gym with multiple sports classes, Wellness Week is an important initiative for our staff. It gives us the opportunity to highlight simple but healthy workplace behaviours, such as drinking plenty of water and getting up and about from your desk regularly. Our staff are our greatest asset, so we want to ensure we look after them as well as possible. Adding a charity angle this year through donating blood, gave our staff the opportunity to PlayItForward, and thanks to a generous group, we’re delighted to be giving the Alzheimer’s Society Isle of Man a cheque for £700.” John Coleman, Finance Director at Microgaming