St Nicks Ecotherapy Assistant Hannah Kenter talks about coping with eco-anxiety

This blog by Ecotherapy Assistant Hannah Kenter is part of a series exploring some of the latest research and debates in the field of Ecotherapy along with nature inspired tips for how you can put the research into practice If you’ve been feeling unsettled about environmental issues of late there are some practical tips that […]

I think we can all agree that the past few months have been incredibly difficult, and we have observed a lot of change. However, not all change is bad, and it seems the current health crisis has brought about a newfound appreciation for nature (or maybe just more validation in a long-found appreciation). Despite restrictions […]

This blog is part of a series based on the infographic by Decorative Aggregates. Read the previous posts here. In this month’s blog we are going to be taking a look at how caring for a plant or garden, and having a sense of responsibility to care for it, can help us to feel better […]

When trying to improve plant diversity at St Nicks, we have three main techniques. One is through management alone, second is starting afresh with bare soil, and the third is by sowing into existing habitat. On the meadow and other habitats at St Nicks we do all three methods. 1. Management Just managing our habitats […]

This is a guest blog written by our Ecotherapy Nordic Walking tutor Michelle Cairns.  It features links to further reading and a full list of references in a slightly different style to our usual blog posts. We hope you enjoy reading it. If you are interested in joining our Ecotherapy programme you’d be very welcome. […]

This blog is part of a series based on the infographic by Decorative Aggregates. Read the previous posts here. In this month’s blog we are going to be looking at how being in a garden or out in nature can help us with exercising and keeping fit and healthy. Whilst this is obviously great for […]

It’s been an interesting summer, in more ways than one, seesawing between some of the hottest days on record and below average temperatures. MetOffice happened (or chose?) to issue its 2019 State of the Climate report on the hottest day of July. This confirmed the overall warming trend and the role of climate change in […]

Every year in May we get a little obsessive about Himalayan balsam. For those who don’t know it, this is a highly invasive plant which has taken over river banks, becks and ditches across the country. Whether it’s the Ouse, the Foss or local becks like Tang Hall and Osbaldwick, you don’t have to go […]

This blog is part of a series based on the infographic by Decorative Aggregates. Catch up on part one, two. and three here. In this month’s article we are going to be looking at how focusing on the present moment can help to alleviate stress and anxiety caused by worrying or thinking about the past […]

The scything season is now in full swing and we’ve been cutting grassland areas at St Nicks, Millennium Fields and Heworth Holme (you can read our volunteer Tessa’s beautiful love letter to find out more about this special site). We use Austrian scythes to cut grass because it is more sympathetic to the wildlife than […]