It’s not every day that your business turns 30. Ironically, we don’t know exactly what day New Leaf Health officially turns 30, but we do know that Phil Olding started the company sometime in 1996, so we’re choosing to celebrate all year long!
This summer we’re holding a birthday celebration open-day event in Kinver, the village we call home. But before we talk more about that, how about a little walk down memory lane?
New Leaf Associates
We didn’t become a limited company until 2006, and all the way back in 1996, we actually went by a different name – New Leaf Associates. The principles were the same, though – our founder, Phil Olding, wanted to help employers look after the physical and mental wellbeing of their employees.
After local success working in the public sector, New Leaf won a national government contract to promote health across the UK through walking, called Walking the Way to Health, which involved thousands of pedometers (remember those?).
Andy Joins the Team
After a period of continued growth, Phil reached out to an old RAF colleague, Andy Lee-O’Neil, to help manage the company. In 2006, Andy came on board, and New Leaf Health Ltd was established. This led to several major contracts over the next six or so years, including:
- Countryside Agency national stepometer programme.
- Facilitating the AXA Health On Site programme.
- Training and education for the Deptartment for Work and Pensions.
- Developing workplace wellbeing roadshows for the British Heart Foundation.
- Designing and delivering the Vitality Roadshow for workplaces for Vitality Reward Points.
Additionally, New Leaf Health developed the Health Check Point service (known as the DIY Health Check back then), delivering it for large clients, including a contract to run it for the NHS Mid-Essex Trust.
We also hosted the UK’s first Wellbeing Champions Conference in 2012 in Birmingham, bringing together over 140 Wellbeing Champions from around the UK, as well as a variety of speakers from the wellbeing sector – a huge milestone in promoting workplace health.
We expanded with many more contracts and projects, including:
- Barclays Bank Stair Challenge.
- KFC regional wellbeing interventions.
- Kimberley Clark international conference support.
- Mental Health Course for Managers for Capita.
- Love Your Liver Awareness Days for the British Liver Trust.
- Delivering Mental Health First Aid courses to UK workplaces.
The COVID Years
The 2020 pandemic was a strange time for New Leaf Health. Workplace health events completely stopped, and most of our training courses went entirely online (remember when none of us knew how to use Zoom?).
We also began providing COVID testing kits to workplaces, and we were one of the first UK organisations to be distributing the gold-standard Acon Flowflex test – even before the NHS did. We also had one of the most popular COVID self-test tutorial videos on YouTube, featuring Andy himself!
In July 2021, we had our first on-site event in over a year, providing Health Screening appointments for Procter & Gamble’s Reading site. And we’re fortunate enough to say that, these days, employee health checks are back on top as one of our most popular services again.
Looking to the Future
We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know that if it involves workplace wellbeing, New Leaf Health will be a part of it. Preventive healthcare is proving increasingly important in UK workplaces, and that’s exactly where we fit in. So whether you’re an existing client of ours or you’ve never heard of us before today, we’re here to help you put your employees first.
Party Time!
Well, not quite a party, but there will be cake and Prosecco, so we’re counting it!
On 21st August 2026, New Leaf Health will be hosting an open day event to celebrate 30 years in business. We’ll be running an open-invitation Workplace Wellbeing Fair for any businesses that want to visit us, to include:
- Meet the New Leaf Health team.
- Get a free health check and blood pressure check.
- Physical activity awareness, cancer awareness, and lifestyle advice.
- Free over-the-clothes massage appointments.
- Tea, coffee, cake, and Prosecco.
- A mini-museum of ancient wellbeing props and old banners we’ve dug out from our earlier days.
- Plus more.
The event is taking place from 12:00 – 15:00 at The Edward Marsh Centre in Kinver (DY7 6ET). Entrance is by registration only, but it’s completely free to attend.
We look forward to seeing (or meeting) you in August – and here’s to another 30 years of workplace wellbeing with New Leaf Health!
