Tag: nature
Green spaces, gardening & wellbeing – Relaxation
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 […]
Ecotherapy – Connecting to Nature
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 […]
Wildwatch April 2020
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 […]
Love Letter to Heworth Holme
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 […]
Volunteer Insights: Jacob
For our final volunteer insight blog, I spoke to Jacob who has been volunteering since September 2017 as part of his studies. Currently at sixth form at Archbishop Holgates, Jacob volunteers to get experience away from the classroom. As a young student still in school education, I thought it would be great to see what […]
Volunteer Insights: Emma and Eleanor
Now on day three of our volunteer blogs, I caught up with Support Volunteers, Emma and Eleanor, who help to supervise the Student Action Volunteers of a Wednesday afternoon, to find out how they feel about volunteering at St Nicks. What is your role at St Nicks and what does that involve? Emma: I am a […]
Why Litter Pick?
Nature Reserve Manager Jonathan Dent tells us why we should care more about what happens to rubbish washing away down the river. Have you ever noticed the litter that is piling up in your local river or stream? Perhaps not: the following week, it has often disappeared. It’s more than likely that, rather than being […]
Ecotherapy diary: participant stories
Absorbing and relaxing, helpful, welcoming and friendly, and giving people the chance to learn new things about nature are just some of the ways people describe the Ecotherapy programme at St Nicks. In this blog, three of our participants share their personal stories about their Ecotherapy journey, showing that we really do help people in recovery from […]
Spotlight: How they climb
Most of us go up and down steps and slopes without stopping to think about it, unless an injury or advancing age turns it into a conscious effort. Some of us enjoy the physical challenges and rewards of hill walking. A few serious mountaineers get kicks out of trying to get up sheer rock faces. […]
Guest post: Down in the meadow
On Friday 16th June we launched our Scything for Grassland Management Project, Tim attended and wrote up this brilliant blog (originally posted here) that summarises the project and the day really well. The Grasslands Management Project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. A bit about Tim: I work in ecology and biodiversity in North […]
