What is your role at St Nicks? I started working as the Ecotherapy Project Assistant in May 2021. Previously I’ve worked for charities and in local government roles but during the last lockdown I decided I needed a new challenge. I have always really enjoyed being out in nature and felt it can have a […]
What is your role at St Nicks and what training, employment and interests led you to this role? I am the Ecotherapy Creative Writing/Nature Arts tutor at St Nicks. I have over 20 years of professional experience in arts, heritage, culture and a specialism in community arts, writing and recovery. I enjoy promoting the benefits of […]
The last year has been hard on many people’s mental health, so we are especially glad to be sharing a range of opportunities to boost your mental wellbeing. From bushcraft to willow weaving to one-to-one support for mental health at work and wellbeing workshops, there’s something for everyone. The evidence is clear. ‘Nature connectedness’ is […]
We hear a lot these days about how to rewild nature – a form of conservation and ecological restoration that has significant potential to increase biodiversity through letting things take their natural course, reintroducing native species and not having too much human interference. But is it also possible to rewild ourselves? This could mean doing […]
What is your role at St Nicks? My role is a Green Mentor which involves working with young people aged 10-14 to help them organise their own environmental projects. I also lead the Ecotherapy Bearing Fruit group but I’ll save talking about that for another time. In what ways have you been involved in environmental […]
What is your role at St Nicks and what training, employment and interests led you to this role? I run Words From the Wild with Emma. We used to run Book Club and Creative Writing separately, but now they’re combined, which is great! While I was studying at the Centre for Writing at York St […]
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’ll be looking at how being in a garden or out in nature can help us to relax. There are many daily stressors in life but one of the best ways to […]
This is the first in a series of blogs about Ecotherapy – a method of promoting good mental health and physical wellbeing through outdoor activity in the natural environment. With the current situation in the world, many people have been seeing and feeling the benefits of being in nature and rediscovering or fully appreciating their […]
Wildlife at St Nicks has been flourishing this spring. Wildwatch volunteers would normally be meeting every week to record – and enjoy – this. Alas, this is impossible right now. However, several Wildwatchers have been able to visit individually and share their sightings with us all. And of course staff members continue to do essential […]
By St Nicks Volunteer, Tessa McClary Look under a leaf, and you’ll spot a bright red ladybug. Dig under the carpet of grass, and you’ll see a worm inching its way through the mud. Watch the puddle next to the bund, until a golden frog lopes his way down to the water. If you […]