Talks/Lectures/Workshops

Do you feel life is passing you by, realise your lifestyle no longer works for you, sense reduced individuality and, want to learn how experiencing colour as a powerful tool for change can help you become what you’ve always wanted to be from being a more confident, happier and fulfilled YOU? Please join Sheila Caulfield – Award winning Lifestyle Coach – Professional Colour Consultant – Experienced Confidence Coach –  in this inspiring, friendly and empowering workshop. During this creative workshop Sheila will guide you through colourful, practical and fun activities to help you experience colour, get a sense of how colour effects your thoughts, emotions and  behaviour and to reflect on what this means in your everyday life. The event will be held on June 6, 2025 from 10:20am to 12:20pm at The Warnborough Foundation, 18 Lower Bridge Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2LG. Places are LIMITED to 10 participants. Registration is required. Colour YOU Confident Today’s workshop includes: Please bring to the workshop a notebook, pen and an open-mind. All other workshops resources, water, tea and coffee will be provided. You will leave this workshop with new skills, ideas for moving your lifestyle forward and have the benefit of being part of the Colour YOU Confident Community –  an on-line network of ‘like-minded’ women offering inspiration, learning and development opportunities and support for members. About Sheila Caulfield Sheila is an approved speaker for the Women’s Institute (WI) and a top coach for business clients and clients within communities.  Her pioneering work as a thought leader for helping people promote confidence and wellbeing led to invitations for sharing her unique approaches and methods with her peers. She became a regular speaker at national conferences and enjoyed working with many local and nation-wide project teams with the role of building confidence and growing skills across all levels of the organisation or communities she worked with.

We are pleased to announce a FREE special gathering led by our Council member, Dr John S. Gaal. The event will be held on June 6, 2025 at 2pm at The Warnborough Foundation, 18 Lower Bridge Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2LG. Places are LIMITED. Registration is required. Addressing Mental Health in Construction – Exploring the Need for a Postvention Program The U.S. construction industry has only recently begun to focus on the mental health and well-being of its workforce. Data from CPWR (the research arm of the North American Building Trades Unions) in Fall 2024 reveals a stark reality: Suicide rates among construction workers are five times higher, and drug overdose deaths are seventeen times higher than deaths from workplace injuries. This highlights an industry that is behind the curve mostly due to its history and traditions that value toughness over vulnerability. While several suicide prevention and intervention initiatives exist, there is a noticeable lack of suicide postvention programs—support systems that helpteams and individuals cope after a suicide or overdose event. This gathering intends to explore whether similar mental health challenges exist in the UK and European construction sectors, and whether there is interest in co-developing a postvention framework tailored to the unique culture of this industry. Practical outcomes of the session may include: The aim is not only to exchange knowledge but to catalyse action—sending a clear message that the mental well-being of construction workers is essential to safety and sustainability in the industry. About Dr John S Gaal In March 2021, Dr. Gaal accepted the newly created position of director for the MO AFL-CIO’s Missouri Works Initiative’s Worker Wellness Program. (At the end of January 2019, after 40 years of service, John retired as the Director of Training and Workforce Development for the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council.) As a labor representative, he continues to serve on the St. Louis County Workforce Development Board, Missouri Suicide Prevention Network’s Advisory Committee, and International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plan’s Mental Health Expert Panel. John completed a union apprenticeship in carpentry over 40 years ago and has since earned an associate’s degree in construction management, a bachelor’s degree in architecture, master’s degree in international business, and a doctorate in organizational leadership. In addition, he completed post-doctoral projects at Harvard University (Trade Union Leadership: 2009) and University of Florida (Marketing & Management: 2014). John was honored with two Fulbright (Specialist) Scholarships in Labor and Industrial Relations (Tokyo, Japan: 2010 and Toronto, Canada: 2015). He has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed and professional journals on issues related to various aspects of workforce development and worker wellness. Since 2018, John has completed a variety of mental health certifications and in Q4-2023 earned his Labor Assistance Professional certification. Dr. Gaal has been married for 41 years, has four children, and is in his 30th year as an adjunct professor at Webster University.