Press release issued: Friday, February 6th, 2009

Training company gives pent-up Cardiff workers a side order of relaxation this Stress Down Day

A Cardiff café helped to lighten the load of its customers today (Friday, February 6th) by offering them an Indian head massage with their usual lunchtime sandwich in support of a national awareness day.

Diners at the Trade Street Café, owned by training company ACT, were given the massages by café employee and part-time masseuse Geraldine Spensley and were encouraged to make a donation to the Samaritans’ Stress Down Day.

Stress Down Day, now in its third year, aims to create awareness of work-related stress, an issue brought into focus by the current financial crisis, as people feel increased pressure to perform at work and fear redundancy.

Workers from across UK got involved by wearing their slippers to work, sponsoring email-free hours, selling soothing smoothies and receiving stress-reducing massages.

Geraldine, who provides massage to companies as well as individuals, said: “I started to practice massage because I wanted to help people overcome their everyday stresses. I have been doing it for two years now and I really believe I have made a positive difference to people’s lives. I am only too happy to offer my services the Trade Street Café’s valued customers in support of this very worthwhile cause.

“Fortunately, at the Trade Street Café, we have a manager, Symon Dovey, who encourages us to talk about things if things ever get too much, whether it’s work-related or personal.”

Regular Trade Street Café customer Beverley Penny, who works for Ramblers Cymru, said: “Gez’s massages are a great way to unwind and I fully support the Samaritans’ Stress Down Day. Walking is also a fantastic way to escape the pressures of working life.”

To find out more information about Geraldine’s company Escape call 07894439830.

ENDS

Notes to editors

ACT’s Trade Street Cafe
Wales’ largest work-based learning provider ACT set up Trade Street Café in Cardiff in May 2006 to provide good quality food at affordable prices for its trainees and the local population. The café is situated in a busy part of Cardiff, next to the city’s main train station and numerous businesses, and has become a popular choice for traders, professionals and even celebrities, such as members of the Welsh rugby team and various music celebrities. The emphasis of the café is on freshly-made ‘proper food’, ‘food as it should be’ and it is opposed to cheap ingredients which tend to be full of additives. For more information log onto www.tradestreetcafe.com or call 029 2022 8666.

Samaritans’ Stress Down Day
According to Samaritans statistics, an estimated 2.1m people suffered from ill-health which they believe was work-related. Symptoms of stress include constant irritability with people, feeling unable to cope, a feeling of being a failure, difficulty in making decisions, anxiety about the future and the inability to finish one task before rushing into another. Physical symptoms of stress include a lack of appetite or food cravings when under pressure, frequent nausea or heartburn, insomnia or constant tiredness, headaches, the desire to cry or high blood pressure.

Find out more about Samaritans’ Stress Down Day campaign by logging onto www.stressdownday.org or call 020 8394 8399 for a fundraising pack.