Aiste is a Care Coordinator in the Early Intervention Team in the NHS. She accompanied & supported patients at Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Nature & Wellbeing Course in Autumn 2024.
This blog outlines her thoughts and experiences on the programme.
Who the Nature & Wellbeing programme helps
The majority of patients that we work with experience social isolation; this negatively affects their mental health and over time can cause a decline in their confidence and social skills. They often struggle to engage in any meaningful activities and lack a sense of belonging. Therefore, social inclusion groups like Green Space are vital for mental health services such as the Early Intervention Team.
Experience on the Nature & Wellbeing programme
I have had the pleasure to participate in seven Green Space sessions facilitated by Sarah-Jane at Lancashire Wildlife Trust. I am the Care Coordinator for several of the patients who also attended the group, I received feedback from my patients about the group and I was also able to observe the positive changes that it brought to their lives over the course of seven weeks.
They all looked forward to attending the group every week and enjoyed participating in different activities. The group taught them how to connect with nature and more importantly with one another. Over the course of 12 weeks, the patients got to know each other and felt comfortable in each other’s company. This has given them confidence and instilled a sense of belonging. Furthermore, each session was dedicated to learning new skills and it taught us how to notice and appreciate the world around us.
Conclusion
It would be difficult to say which session I enjoyed the most as they were all so interesting and exciting. Sarah-Jane encouraged service users to share their ideas for future sessions which empowered them and made them realise that their input was valued and important. Sarah-Jane was very flexible in her approach and continuously made sure that every service user was getting the most out of each session. It also encouraged them to be more physically active, and I have observed that this has inspired patients to spend more time in nature, going for walks and noticing different animals and plants around them in their everyday lives.
