Wild About Our Woods CIO

Well-Being

Healthier, Happier, Smarter. We passionately believe that strengthening our connection to nature supports well-being & unlocks potential for fulfilling, happy & enriched lives

At Wild About Our Woods we want to get more people outdoors into local woodlands. We want to build a stronger community by breaking down barriers to participation in woodlands activities.

Being in nature and connecting with it is good for your emotional, social, physical well being and cognitive development. We endeavour to create a programme of engaging and inclusive activities that will encourage the local community to visit their local woodlands. Learning new skills, meet others and feeling the benefits mentioned first hand. In addition to this when we respect nature, we conserve it for future generations which we also help with be a legacy of our work.

All of this work is based on Forest School principles

Our philosophy and programmes incorporates three core components of well being;

- Physical – our bodies, staying fit and healthy through outdoor pursuits

- Emotional – our feelings and how they influence our thoughts and behaviour

- Social – how we treat each other and the quality of our relationships

"Populations that are exposed to the greenest environments also have lowest levels of health inequality related to income deprivation. Physical environments that promote good health might be important to reduce socio-economic health inequalities."

Dr Richard Mitchell, Dr Frank Popham, The Lancet