Who is this project for?

Anyone aged 11-15 who is wanting to spend a day outdoors with a group of young people around their age. The group will be a maximum of 12 young people.

How does this relate to mental health?

Nature can be a great tool to support our mental health. We can sometimes feel disconnected from the world and ourselves. Spending time in nature can help us feel connected to what surrounds us, ourselves and others, and can create a sense of wellbeing. The day will offer a range of activities, all aimed to support your mental health in different ways – creating a sense of calm and safety, having fun and experiencing joy, exploring your creativity and craftiness, learning new things, as well as connecting to the natural world and each other.

What will the day be like?

The group will be a mix of young people who know each other from the Nature Works Summer Programme at the Ranch, and young people attending for the first time who won’t know each other. The day will start by settling in at the Ranch and introducing ourselves to each other – we will all sit together and you will be invited to share your name, your pronouns and to answer a question (this may be how you are, your favourite thing about Autumn, if you were to be followed by 100 animals which animal would it be…).We’ll then go exploring Badock’s Wood (the woodland right next to the Ranch), make lunch over a fire, practice nature mindfulness and nature journaling, play nature-themed games, get creative / do some nature crafts 😊

Lunch, drinks and snacks will be provided. Everything will be an invitation and you will have the choice to not take part in any of this.

Access information

The sessions will take place at the bottom of the adventure playground, down a small hill, which is about a 2mins walk. The path is made of woodchip and is uneven in some parts. The toilets are in a building at the top of the small hill. All the space is outdoors but there is a sheltered area. There are benches both in the sheltered and unsheltered area. When going to explore the woodland, we will have folding chairs or mats to be used for resting whenever needed/wanted. Please reach out to our Nature Works Coordinator Max to discuss any access needs/questions and they will support you with this.

If you have any questions or would like to talk through anything before signing up, get in touch with our Nature Works Coordinator Max – you can drop them an email (maxc@otrbristol.org.uk) or a text (07943756151). They will get back to you as soon as they can – they work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, usually between 9am – 5pm + Thursday mornings, so they’ll only be able to answer on those days.