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Children having fun with nature play

Our focus on the outdoors

Contact with nature is at the heart of everything we do. It isn’t just good for our physical health, it calms us, energises us, and regulates our serotonin levels.

The love of all living things

Our connections with nature run deep. Since we first lit fire, the natural world has provided our homes, clothes, food, heat, tools, resources and reason for being. It should therefore come as no surprise that we as humans possess an innate desire to connect with nature and the outdoors.

Modern lives have disconnected us from nature in many ways and although we remain dependent on natural resources in all aspects of our lives, we are generally less aware of this relationship. We believe that if people are to value the natural world, they need to love it, and to love it they first need to connect with it.

Unfortunately, access to nature has become increasingly unequal and the most vulnerable members of society tend to have much more limited opportunities to access greenspaces. Our work is about ensuring there is access for all people.

Nature is good for us

There is an increasing body of evidence demonstrating that exposure to and engagement with nature and greenspace positively impacts our health and wellbeing. It calms us, improves sleep patterns, energises us, motivates us and regulates serotonin levels, for example.

There is a reason we seek out views of the countryside, feel better after breathing in sea air and marvel at the smell of rain on a summer day.

Contact with nature reduces stress, reduces mental fatigue, promotes blood flow and bolsters our mood. It is something that we subconsciously seek out on a daily basis. This idea of building daily connections with nature underpins our work.

An old door sandwiched between trees

Children and nature

In an era of screen culture both at home and in school children are in danger of spending less time outdoors than the generations before them. The benefits of contact with nature for healthy development are widely documented. Contact with nature delivers a holistic approach to learning; it improves concentration, promotes independence and builds communication skills.

The benefits of contact with nature can be particularly valuable for children with additional needs. Spending quality time outdoors can help reduce pain, focus attention, reduce anxiety and compulsive behaviour, enhance appetite and good sleeping patterns and help build a stronger immune system.

Ageing and nature

With a shift in demographics and an ageing population, it is more and more important to be looking at what it means to be healthy and happy in older age. Nature and the outdoors can play a key role in sustaining good health as well as supporting people to live well with health conditions.

Thoughtful design of outdoor spaces motivates people to be more physically active, to develop social networks and find new hobbies and interests.

Social isolation and public spaces

Social isolation is becoming a major public health issue. Increasingly we are addressing some of the issues of loneliness and social isolation by running some of our activity groups in outdoor public spaces.

We want to support disadvantaged people to be active and visible in their communities, removing some of the stigma and mystery surrounding disability and building new social networks. Our activity group participants gain confidence in leaving the house by being out and about with a group of others offering mutual support.

Equal access to nature

Access to outdoor spaces or simply just opening a door and walking outside isn’t easy for everyone. From the pavement outside the house to the gated entrance to the park, barriers exist for many people. We work with people, businesses and communities to overcome barriers and create more inclusive opportunities to get outside and benefit from nature.

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