--- title: "The Wellbeing Olympics: Fourteen Nurseries, One Team, Every Day." date: 2026-09-09T14:06:00+01:00 author: MiChild Group canonical_url: "https://michildnurseries.co.uk/blog/the-wellbeing-olympics-fourteen-nurseries-one-team-every-day" section: Blog --- [## Home.](https://michildnurseries.co.uk/)[## About Us.](https://michildnurseries.co.uk/about-us)[## Our Nurseries.](https://michildnurseries.co.uk/our-nurseries)[## Learning.](https://michildnurseries.co.uk/learning)[## Family Zone.](https://michildnurseries.co.uk/families)[## Join Our Team.](https://michildnurseries.co.uk/join-our-team)[## News & Stories.](https://michildnurseries.co.uk/blog)[0800 307 0155 0800 307 0155 ](tel:0800-307-0155)[Contact Us Contact Us ](https://michildnurseries.co.uk/contact) MG MiChild Group 1 min read 20 Sept 2026 # The Wellbeing Olympics: Fourteen Nurseries, One Team, Every Day. ![Olympics Thumbnail](https://michild-nurseries.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Olympics-Thumbnail.jpg?w=1800&h=1013&q=80&fm=webp&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1788958318&s=e530c340f0125da9fb35b42c16548213) ![Olympics Thumbnail](https://michild-nurseries.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Olympics-Thumbnail.jpg?w=1200&h=900&q=80&fm=webp&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1788958318&s=29bf1fc41e8bb7e2bba1c946848fd882) At MiChild, we have always believed that looking after the people who look after your children is not an extra. That is the whole point. Our Early Years educators give patience, energy and warmth to the children in their care every single day, and that kind of work deserves proper, ongoing support in return. That belief sits behind everything from our staff benefits to our wellbeing representative system, and this month it took a new, much more energetic shape: the MiChild Wellbeing Olympics. Over three weeks, teams from all fourteen of our nurseries came together to compete in a series of fun sporting activities, with prizes up for grabs and plenty of friendly rivalry along the way. You can see the highlights in the video that accompanies this article, but we wanted to use this space to explain what sat behind it, and why an event like this matters just as much as the quieter, everyday support we provide. ## Wellbeing is built in, not bolted on Long before anyone laced up their trainers for the Wellbeing Olympics, wellbeing was already part of daily life in every MiChild setting. As we shared in a previous article about caring for our teams, every one of our fourteen nurseries has a wellbeing representative: someone to check in with, someone to raise a concern with, and someone to have a chat with on a hard day. That role exists because early years work is emotionally and physically demanding, and people doing that work need real, human support rather than a poster on a staffroom wall. That representative system, which we call MiWellbeing Matters, is also how staff voices genuinely shape what we do. It is a two-way conversation. We run weekly and monthly check-ins, alongside regular drop-in sessions and wellness days, so there is always a natural moment for someone to say how they are really doing. The feedback our teams give through this system drives the activities and incentives we put on locally, and it has already shaped things like improved benefits and investment in training and resources. This is all detailed in our staff brochure, and it is the quiet, consistent foundation that events like the Wellbeing Olympics sit on top of, not a replacement for it. ## Why bring fourteen nurseries together If daily wellbeing support already exists in every setting, why add a three-week, cross-nursery sporting competition on top? Because some things are best done together. Wellbeing support at an individual nursery level is personal and immediate, but it can also feel quite quiet and low-key by nature; a conversation with a wellbeing rep, a check-in, a drop-in session. The Wellbeing Olympics gave us the chance to make wellbeing loud, visible and genuinely joyful and to remind every member of staff across the group that they are part of something much bigger than their own room or setting. Bringing fourteen nurseries into friendly competition, with fun sporting activities and prizes to play for, did a few things at once. It gave people a reason to move, laugh and compete together, which is good for wellbeing in its own right; the NHS's own guidance on staying active is clear that regular movement and social connection are two of the simplest, most effective ways to support mental health ([NHS Every Mind Matters](https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/be-active-for-your-mental-health/)). It also raised awareness of wellbeing as a topic across the whole organisation, sparking conversations between colleagues who might not normally cross paths outside their own nursery. And, quite simply, it was fun. Prizes and a bit of healthy competition are a good excuse for teams to let their hair down together after a demanding term. ## The event is the celebration, not the whole story It would be easy to watch the Wellbeing Olympics video and think that this three-week burst of activity is what wellbeing looks like at MiChild. It is not, and we would not want anyone to come away with that impression. The sporting events are a celebration and an amplifier of something that is practised daily in every single one of our settings, through wellbeing representatives, regular check-ins, drop-in sessions and wellness days that carry on long after the trophies have been handed out and the three weeks are over. That distinction matters because sustainable workplace wellbeing depends on consistency, not one-off gestures. Organisations like the [Mental Health Foundation](https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/workplace-mental-health) and [Mind](https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/) are clear that the workplaces that genuinely support mental health are the ones that build it into everyday culture: regular check-ins, clear routes to raise a concern, and a culture where staff feel able to speak up before things become difficult. For anyone working in education specifically, [Education Support](https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/) offers a free, confidential helpline and further resources aimed at staff in schools and early years settings, and it is a resource we are always happy to point our own teams towards alongside our internal support. ## What it means for the children we care for Everything we do around staff wellbeing, from the everyday check-ins to a three-week celebration of sport and teamwork, ultimately comes back to the children and families we serve. A team that feels supported, connected and genuinely well is calmer, warmer and more present. They have the space to notice the small moments that matter, to respond with patience, and to build the kind of trusting relationships that help children thrive. The Wellbeing Olympics gave our teams a brilliant few weeks of fun and friendly competition, but its real value lies in reinforcing a message we try to live out every day: that looking after our people properly is how we look after the children in our care. We are proud of every nursery that took part, and prouder still of the quiet, consistent wellbeing support that happens in each of our settings long after the medals are put away. ### Sources and further reading - [NHS Every Mind Matters: Be active for your mental health](https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/be-active-for-your-mental-health/) - [Mental Health Foundation: Workplace mental health](https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/workplace-mental-health) - [Mind: Mental health support and wellbeing in the workplace](https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/) - [Education Support: Supporting the mental health of everyone working in education](https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/) MG Written by MiChild Group Related Articles ## More articles **you may also like** [View all Blogs View all Blogs ](/blog) [![Olympics Thumbnail](https://michild-nurseries.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/images/Olympics-Thumbnail.jpg?w=1200&h=675&q=80&fm=webp&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1788958318&s=29e03d9ed4a9568e100a9f789661cd55) ## The Wellbeing Olympics: Fourteen Nurseries, One Team, Every Day. 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