Natural England is joining forces with the NHS to run free sessions across Cornwall for primary aged children and a parent or carer.
With Easter holidays just around the corner, youngsters in Cornwall are being given the opportunity to get out and go wild, thanks to a scheme being run at Natural England and National Trust sites in the county.
It is increasingly accepted that getting out in the fresh air and enjoying nature is good for our well-being. Now Natural England is joining forces with the NHS Cornwall Mental Health Support Team and partners, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the National Trust, to put on Wild Wellbeing workshops for children, mums, dads or carers during the up-coming holidays.
Sessions are being held at venues across Cornwall and are open to primary school children and a parent or carer. They are being organised by the Cornwall Mental Health Support Team in Cornwall, working in partnership with Natural England, Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the National Trust.
The workshops are built around the NHS Five Ways to Wellbeing initiative: Connect, Take Notice, Be Active, Keep Learning, Give. They link to the Five Pathways to Nature Connection: Sensory contact, Emotional bond, Beauty, Meaning, showing Compassion.
Last year similar sessions were held on Goss Moor, Golitha Falls and in Tywardreath, and their success has led to them being widened across the county this year.
Positive feedback from those sessions included from one youngster who attended saying: "We really enjoyed our session with MHST learning about the 'Five Ways to Wellbeing.' We particularly enjoyed making our breathing sticks and we still use ours at home now if I am struggling with my emotions."
A parent who went along said: "Thank you for a lovely afternoon. We have loved having some mindful time together."
Morgan Stevens of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said:
This is a fantastic and exciting opportunity for organisations to work together to promote wellbeing, nature and the outdoors to the children and families of Cornwall.
Chris Waddle of Natural England said:
Nature's ability to benefit our health and wellbeing is a blessing to us all. Having the opportunity to work with specialists from the NHS is incredibly valuable in supporting our delivery and understanding of balancing nature recovery with people.
Engaging young children and families has been an absolute pleasure. Partnering with the Wildlife Trust and National Trust will not only help to grow this service further, it creates an opportunity for the younger generation to engage with nature in a variety of ways.
Lydia Allt, Volunteering and Community Officer for the National Trust said:
We are thrilled to introduce these Wild Wellbeing sessions at Penrose, giving young people the chance to experience the uplifting effects of nature in this tranquil setting.
Amy Gosney, Community Engagement Officer with Cornwall Wildlife Trust said:
We're really excited to be working with the CAMHS team to provide sessions to help young people connect with nature.
We know how important nature is for our wellbeing and the more connected we are to nature, the more we want to care for and protect it.
We are able to reach and have a much greater impact when we work collaboratively with different organisations and so this brilliant programme builds on our collect strengths and helps us to support more young people across Cornwall.
The free sessions at Natural England sites are being held at: Tuesday, 8 April at Golitha Falls, Thursday, 10 April at Tehidy Woods, Tuesday, 15 April at The Dipping Pond, Goss Moor, Tuesday 15 April at Widemouth Bay, Bude.
Each session will last approximately two hours and are being held at 10am and 1pm.
Sessions in West Cornwall are on: Wednesday, 9 April at Penrose and on Wednesday, 16 April at Kennack Sands. Also approximately two hours long, they will start at 10am and 2pm.
