New Life E-Newsletter Jan 2026
New Life 60th Anniversary Territory-wide Flag Day Successfully Held
New Life held its 60th Anniversary Territory-wide Flag Day on 10 Jan, with support from the Association's staff and their families, service users and their families, as well as volunteers from various companies, organisations, and schools.
New Life sincerely thanks all volunteers, donors and members of the public for their support through volunteering, donations and purchasing gold flags, which supports the Association’s activities that promote social inclusion and support persons in recovery in becoming self-reliant, and raise public awareness of mental health. The net proceeds from the Flag Day, after deducting costs, will be used to support the Association's development of caring and innovative self-financed services, and to achieve holistic health of body, mind, and spirit for all.
Flag Day Highlights
Walking Alongside Carers - New Life Named ‘Carer-Friendly Employer’
On 13 January, the Social Welfare Department held the award presentation ceremony for the "Care the Carers Campaign – Carer-friendly Commendation Scheme". New Life was honoured to receive the "Carer-Friendly Employer" award. The Association's CEO, Mr. Thomas CHU Sai-ming (third from left), was invited to attend the ceremony and received the award on behalf of New Life.
The ceremony also commended several "Inspiring Carers", including Ms. CHAN Lai-lai (right), nominated by New Life's Joyous Place. For over three decades, Ms. CHAN has been the primary carer for her daughter (left) who has schizophrenia, accompanying her through various ups and downs on the road to recovery.
2025 Mental Health Month Concludes with Flying Colour Promoting Public Focus on ‘Healthy Life．Healthy Mind
The closing and awards ceremony for the "2025 Mental Health Month" was held on 17 January. Mr. Chris SUN, JP, Secretary for Labour and Welfare (centre), Professor Annie TAM Kam-lan, GBS, JP (third from right), Chairperson of the Executive Committee of New Life and Dean of the Connecting Hearts Academy, and Mr. Thomas CHU Sai-ming (first from left), Chief Executive Officer of New Life and Chairperson of the Organising Committee, all attended.
The 2025 Mental Health Month, themed "Healthy Life．Healthy Mind", aimed to enhance public awareness of maintaining healthy lifestyle through various forms of public education and promotion activities. By the closing day, participating organisations had collected a total of 10,000 action pledge cards, committing to practice a healthy life with a healthy mind.
Since last October, the Organising Committee has held a series of public and community activities, such as workshops and short video creation competitions. On the day of the ceremony, winners of the competition were also commended. Renowned boxer Mr. Rex TSO was invited as a guest to share his experiences with the winners.
Eleven New Life Social Enterprise Staff Honoured Dedication Shines in the Community
To recognise the dedication of social enterprise staff members, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Social Enterprises held the "Hong Kong Social Enterprise Staff Recognition Scheme 2025" awards ceremony on 14 January. This year, 11 staff members from New Life were honoured, with eight of them receiving the Outstanding Social Enterprise Staff Award, and a further two receiving the Long Service Award and one receiving the Most Improved Award. This is the sixth time New Life has been commended by the scheme.
The Association's CEO, Mr. Thomas CHU Sai-ming (back row, first from left), joined the winners and their families at the awards ceremony, celebrating their achievement. New Life congratulates all winners and thanks them for their contributions and efforts. The Association will continue to provide training and employment opportunities for persons in recovery, promote their holistic health, and enable them to reintegrate into society and rebuild a new life.
Jockey Club-funded New Programme Launched in September 2025 Providing Strong Support for SEN Carers
New Life received funding support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to launch a mental health support programme for carers of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). The programme is in collaboration with a research team from the University of Hong Kong's School of Public Health to analyse its effectiveness.。
Within just a few months, the programme successfully established collaborative relationships with 17 local primary and secondary schools, and is projected to support over 300 carers within the three-year programme period. The programme provides customised support to carers with different needs at schools, such as psychoeducation talks, wellness promotion booths, mindfulness-based support groups or family-based parent-child activities, and individual counselling. These services aim to support carers in learning to cope with the pressures and challenges of caregiving, to become aware of their habitual parenting patterns, and ultimately to promote self-care, family relationships, and emotional regulation among carers.
Celebrating Christmas with Eco-friendly Workshop and Charity Sale Fostering Community Connections for Persons in Recovery
In December last year, New Life organised a festive "Eco-friendly Workshop" and a charity sale during the Christmas season to build deeper community connections for persons in mental recovery.
On 19 December 2025, Kwai Shing Sheltered Workshop collaborated for the first time with Kwai Chung High Prosperity Terrace to organise a "Christmas Eco-friendly Workshop". On the day, instructors and persons in recovery from the Sheltered Workshop jointly guided residents in making colourful sand flow aroma ornaments and floral diffuser boards, while introducing the concept of mental health recovery.
Units under the Association's Vocational Rehabilitation Service were invited by Hyatt Regency Sha Tin to participate in the "Christmas Charity Sale" held at the hotel on 12 December 2025. Service users promoted handicrafts, healthy food items, and household cleaning products made by persons in mental recovery to hotel staff, and introduced New Life's vocational rehabilitation services. The activity fully demonstrated the talent of service users and raised public awareness of mental health and New Life's brand products.
New Life's Homegrown Local Vegetables Shine at Food Carnival Showcasing the Bountiful Results of Persons in Recovery
New Life participated in the "FarmFest 2026" held at Mong Kok Fa Hui Park from 9 to 11 Jan, jointly organised by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Vegetable Marketing Organization and the Fish Marketing Organization.
The stall was well-received by the public, with each type of produce being highly popular. As always, New Life’s participation aimed to introduce the public to the Association's own organically grown agricultural products, promote eco-friendly and seasonal farming practices, and also to showcase the results achieved by persons in mental recovery through agricultural training.
Butterflies Flutter at New Life Farm! Butterfly Garden Welcomes Group Bookings
The Butterfly Garden at New Life Farm, which has been in preparation for some time, officially opened at the end of 2025! The lush green farm features a variety of nectar plants, such as Ageratum, Ruellia, Lantana, etc., attracting various types of butterflies to inhabit. The garden was certified at the end of 2025, and is now open to external visitors.
The Butterfly Garden serves as an outdoor educational base for the farm, combined with ecological education activities to enhance public awareness and interest in ecological conservation. This helps promote local biodiversity and maintain the health of the overall ecosystem. The garden is managed and maintained daily by persons in recovery, who also receive relevant work training.
The Butterfly Garden welcomes group visits by appointment.。
Enquiry Phone︰2180 2330
Email Address：nlf@nlpra.org.hk
Meticulously Crafted 330 Chinese New Year Puddings Celebrate Spring Festival with You
As the Chinese New Year approaches, Delight Kitchen is once again launching three types of "330 Chinese New Year Puddings"!
All puddings are made using local ingredients, perfectly presenting flavours made in Hong Kong. Among them are two vegan options, suitable for vegetarians and health-conscious individuals! The varieties include: • Dried Scallop and Preserved Meat Turnip Cake 600g ($158) • Vegan Brown Sugar Ginger Juice New Year Cake 600g ($148) • Vegan Shiitake Mushroom and Cordyceps Flower Turnip Cake 600g ($148)
Visit eshop330.hk now to order these exquisite puddings! Also enjoy two special offers: • From now until 31 January 2026, order three or more boxes of 600g puddings and receive a $20 discount per box. • Purchase any New Life’s New Year pudding and you can add a Walnut Cookie & Cashew Cookie New Year Gift Box at a "Super Value" price of $58 (original price $78). *Collection Dates: 13 – 16 February 2026 *Enquiry Phone: 2231 7500