News
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Our news page was updated on a monthly basis. but as work load has increased it is now just
Our news section starts from June 2014 and works downwards to the present time. So, please scroll down if you require more up to date information.
June 2014
A brief summary of our first six months shows that Nature Therapy CIC worked alongside 26 volunteers from January to June 2014.
Ten of these volunteers helped co create the Nature Therapy and Dementia Programme, whilst 2 remain committed to helping the programme roll out.
Thanks to funding from the Isle of Wight NHS and Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group we are busy delivering this programme to carers (professional and family members) across these two areas. Research is showing the programme significantly reduces compassion fatigue in carers. This is a stage towards complete burn out. People with dementia are benefitting from increased knowledge and understanding of how their sensory perceptions alters in differing types of dementia. They are also benefiting from increased activities involving nature they can join in with and enjoy, thus enhancing their quality of life and well being.
A total of 11 volunteers who are in recovery have worked with us to develop the Forces of Nature Programme for adults. Thanks to a generous grant from the Ministry of Defence we will be working alongside individuals who have recently left the forces and are adjusting to civvy life.
We have a core team of 5 volunteers all committed to nourishing minds through contact with nature.
A special thanks to Unltd for their help in starting up this enterprise and all the support and mentoring they have provided. This has been invaluable. Even the smallest amount of help can make such a difference, such as a grant from Ryde Town Council for £200 which funded storage shelves and cupboards for the resources for dementia programme and a Hapi drum for the workshop on sound.
In July and August 2014 we will be commencing the co-creation of a Kindness programme for children on the autistic spectrum, To do this, we will be working with14 families who have kindly volunteered their time and expertise to help this happen. We are busy seeking funding to help push this work forward to eventually reach as many people as possible. This will result in us having worked with at least 40 volunteers in our first year of set up and possibly more by November 2014 when we will be one year old. Thank you to each and every one of you. It has been a real privilege.
To deliver our programmes we rely on commissioners and funders who believe in us, as well as the time our volunteers give out of the goodness of their hearts. This work could not take place without their goodwill and commitment - which we really value. So, this a big shout out to all those people who have helped this small not for profit enterprise nurture such a big impact in just 6 months. By November 2014, we will have achieved an incredible all inclusive support from over 40 amazing and fantastic like minded souls in our first year. Wow!
The end of June saw Dr Kim Brown reach the semi finals of the Venus Inspirational woman of the year and we received the good news of a funding award from Solent Local Enterprise partnership to create a mobile nature therapy workshop.
July 2014
We continue to develop the sensory toolkit for children on the autistic spectrum and are working one to one with children and families. So we were delighted to be awarded a small grant from the Short Breaks team at the local authority to help us purchase some much needed resources to push this forward. The funding will help us further develop then publish the sensory log we have designed so that each child/young person will have their own individual and unique sensory map. This means many more children/young people and families will benefit from this way of working into the future. Thanks guys.
July also saw Dave Ward, one of our Directors undertake a fund raising sky dive - video and pictures are available on our face book page (Nature Therapy CIC). The aim of this gigantic leap was to raise funds to help bring homeless ex service members to the Isle of Wight to take part in our Forces of Nature programme. Dave raised £460.
A service evaluation showing the outcomes of the delivery of nature therapy and dementia care on the Isle of Wight is available on request.
August 2014
Whoever said not much happens in August has not been involved with our small not for profit enterprise. We have been busier than ever making the most of the amazing weather in developing our Nature Quests to include more opportunities and to ensure diversity, the work taking place with families and children on the autistic spectrum has been inspiring and is in now in draft format. Lots of interest has been shown in the nature therapy and dementia care work taking place in Portsmouth, plus we have worked together to submit a few bids to help take Nature Therapy CIC forward into 2015.
In addition, the work continues of the refurbishment of the nature therapy mobile which was held up slightly because all the floorboards had to be replaced. We have a temporary labyrinth going in to test how well people respond to this as a way of learning Mindfulness and we have created a model of a sensory theatre which we hope to launch later in the year.
One of the most exciting ventures for us is the planning of an off grid centre for people to come and stay away from all technology, concrete and crowds of people. This stress free environment will enable participants to fully immerse themselves in the therapeutic broth that nature offers us in order to nourish their minds as well as bodies.
September 2014
This month has seen the launch of the second phase of testing the nature therapy and autism toolkits. Families have been amazing in agreeing to sign up to pilot the kit to see if the concept works across a much wider range to meet need. In just one hour after posting a message on social media, over 20 families said they would try out the toolkit. Looking forward to hearing how they have used the kit, what changes need to be made to it, and what outcomes have been obtained.
We have revised the Forces of Nature programme to offer over 20 different quests. This as based on feedback which advised us that many found it hard to commit to 6 Saturdays in a row, especially in relation to family commitments over weekend periods. So, the Quests are now each offered on an individual basis with a calendar about to be published of quests taking place in 2015. In this way individuals can decide which Quests best suit their needs and book on ones they want to attend. By far the most favourite Quests we facilitated over the summer was the Mud Quest and the Cave of Secret Carvings. We even had a special request to repeat the Mud Quest for a group of bikers. The photos taken of this Quest, as you can imagine, are real treasures as everyone had so much fun.
The mobile unit continues to be upgraded and the kitchen and log burner are now in place as well as the interior walls.
A meeting with Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group, who fund delivery of the Nature Therapy and Dementia Care programme in Portsmouth, has helped us draw up a strategy to expand the programme to a much wider reach of carers of people with dementia. We are only part way through delivery of this contract and have already reached our target number of carers/people with dementia, but feel we could reach many more.
Finally, Founder of Nature Therapy CIC - Kim, is really proud to be the winner of the Regional Venus Inspirational Woman of the Year in the Professional Category sponsored by Checkaprofessional.com. She now goes on to the national award ceremony taking place in January 2015. Kim told the ceremony that her inspiration comes from the many carers she works alongside who show selfless devotion, humility, compassion and love in their roles.
October 2014
There is great excitement amongst the nature therapy team this month following the acquisition of a Nature Therapy Retreat in Portugal. The retreat is set in 5 hectares in the mountains of central Portugal with the most stunning views. The retreat is called Contender, which means divided in Portugeuse. This is because the Qunita is divided by waterfalls and a river called the River of Beyond. It springs direct from the mountain itself and as it cascades down through Contender it provides a vital source of water for us as well as the trees, crops, grapes and wildlife. As it flows it fills delicious plunge pools to bathe in or cool us in the heat of the summer. In the winter it fills a wood fired hot tub.
The amenities at Contender are basic but very fitting for those who want to immerse themselves in the healing power of nature. We have some work to do to get it fit for retreats and workshops and already have had some great offers of volunteer help. We hope to be taking the first groups of people that are part of the programmes we run by May 2015. This will include those who would like to take part in workshops on nature therapy and dementia care or nature therapy and autism as well as time out for those on our Forces of Nature programme. A full calendar of events is available.
Meanwhile if you would like more information then go to www.naturetherapyportugal.com
Our news section starts from June 2014 and works downwards to the present time. So, please scroll down if you require more up to date information.
June 2014
A brief summary of our first six months shows that Nature Therapy CIC worked alongside 26 volunteers from January to June 2014.
Ten of these volunteers helped co create the Nature Therapy and Dementia Programme, whilst 2 remain committed to helping the programme roll out.
Thanks to funding from the Isle of Wight NHS and Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group we are busy delivering this programme to carers (professional and family members) across these two areas. Research is showing the programme significantly reduces compassion fatigue in carers. This is a stage towards complete burn out. People with dementia are benefitting from increased knowledge and understanding of how their sensory perceptions alters in differing types of dementia. They are also benefiting from increased activities involving nature they can join in with and enjoy, thus enhancing their quality of life and well being.
A total of 11 volunteers who are in recovery have worked with us to develop the Forces of Nature Programme for adults. Thanks to a generous grant from the Ministry of Defence we will be working alongside individuals who have recently left the forces and are adjusting to civvy life.
We have a core team of 5 volunteers all committed to nourishing minds through contact with nature.
A special thanks to Unltd for their help in starting up this enterprise and all the support and mentoring they have provided. This has been invaluable. Even the smallest amount of help can make such a difference, such as a grant from Ryde Town Council for £200 which funded storage shelves and cupboards for the resources for dementia programme and a Hapi drum for the workshop on sound.
In July and August 2014 we will be commencing the co-creation of a Kindness programme for children on the autistic spectrum, To do this, we will be working with14 families who have kindly volunteered their time and expertise to help this happen. We are busy seeking funding to help push this work forward to eventually reach as many people as possible. This will result in us having worked with at least 40 volunteers in our first year of set up and possibly more by November 2014 when we will be one year old. Thank you to each and every one of you. It has been a real privilege.
To deliver our programmes we rely on commissioners and funders who believe in us, as well as the time our volunteers give out of the goodness of their hearts. This work could not take place without their goodwill and commitment - which we really value. So, this a big shout out to all those people who have helped this small not for profit enterprise nurture such a big impact in just 6 months. By November 2014, we will have achieved an incredible all inclusive support from over 40 amazing and fantastic like minded souls in our first year. Wow!
The end of June saw Dr Kim Brown reach the semi finals of the Venus Inspirational woman of the year and we received the good news of a funding award from Solent Local Enterprise partnership to create a mobile nature therapy workshop.
July 2014
We continue to develop the sensory toolkit for children on the autistic spectrum and are working one to one with children and families. So we were delighted to be awarded a small grant from the Short Breaks team at the local authority to help us purchase some much needed resources to push this forward. The funding will help us further develop then publish the sensory log we have designed so that each child/young person will have their own individual and unique sensory map. This means many more children/young people and families will benefit from this way of working into the future. Thanks guys.
July also saw Dave Ward, one of our Directors undertake a fund raising sky dive - video and pictures are available on our face book page (Nature Therapy CIC). The aim of this gigantic leap was to raise funds to help bring homeless ex service members to the Isle of Wight to take part in our Forces of Nature programme. Dave raised £460.
A service evaluation showing the outcomes of the delivery of nature therapy and dementia care on the Isle of Wight is available on request.
August 2014
Whoever said not much happens in August has not been involved with our small not for profit enterprise. We have been busier than ever making the most of the amazing weather in developing our Nature Quests to include more opportunities and to ensure diversity, the work taking place with families and children on the autistic spectrum has been inspiring and is in now in draft format. Lots of interest has been shown in the nature therapy and dementia care work taking place in Portsmouth, plus we have worked together to submit a few bids to help take Nature Therapy CIC forward into 2015.
In addition, the work continues of the refurbishment of the nature therapy mobile which was held up slightly because all the floorboards had to be replaced. We have a temporary labyrinth going in to test how well people respond to this as a way of learning Mindfulness and we have created a model of a sensory theatre which we hope to launch later in the year.
One of the most exciting ventures for us is the planning of an off grid centre for people to come and stay away from all technology, concrete and crowds of people. This stress free environment will enable participants to fully immerse themselves in the therapeutic broth that nature offers us in order to nourish their minds as well as bodies.
September 2014
This month has seen the launch of the second phase of testing the nature therapy and autism toolkits. Families have been amazing in agreeing to sign up to pilot the kit to see if the concept works across a much wider range to meet need. In just one hour after posting a message on social media, over 20 families said they would try out the toolkit. Looking forward to hearing how they have used the kit, what changes need to be made to it, and what outcomes have been obtained.
We have revised the Forces of Nature programme to offer over 20 different quests. This as based on feedback which advised us that many found it hard to commit to 6 Saturdays in a row, especially in relation to family commitments over weekend periods. So, the Quests are now each offered on an individual basis with a calendar about to be published of quests taking place in 2015. In this way individuals can decide which Quests best suit their needs and book on ones they want to attend. By far the most favourite Quests we facilitated over the summer was the Mud Quest and the Cave of Secret Carvings. We even had a special request to repeat the Mud Quest for a group of bikers. The photos taken of this Quest, as you can imagine, are real treasures as everyone had so much fun.
The mobile unit continues to be upgraded and the kitchen and log burner are now in place as well as the interior walls.
A meeting with Portsmouth Clinical Commissioning Group, who fund delivery of the Nature Therapy and Dementia Care programme in Portsmouth, has helped us draw up a strategy to expand the programme to a much wider reach of carers of people with dementia. We are only part way through delivery of this contract and have already reached our target number of carers/people with dementia, but feel we could reach many more.
Finally, Founder of Nature Therapy CIC - Kim, is really proud to be the winner of the Regional Venus Inspirational Woman of the Year in the Professional Category sponsored by Checkaprofessional.com. She now goes on to the national award ceremony taking place in January 2015. Kim told the ceremony that her inspiration comes from the many carers she works alongside who show selfless devotion, humility, compassion and love in their roles.
October 2014
There is great excitement amongst the nature therapy team this month following the acquisition of a Nature Therapy Retreat in Portugal. The retreat is set in 5 hectares in the mountains of central Portugal with the most stunning views. The retreat is called Contender, which means divided in Portugeuse. This is because the Qunita is divided by waterfalls and a river called the River of Beyond. It springs direct from the mountain itself and as it cascades down through Contender it provides a vital source of water for us as well as the trees, crops, grapes and wildlife. As it flows it fills delicious plunge pools to bathe in or cool us in the heat of the summer. In the winter it fills a wood fired hot tub.
The amenities at Contender are basic but very fitting for those who want to immerse themselves in the healing power of nature. We have some work to do to get it fit for retreats and workshops and already have had some great offers of volunteer help. We hope to be taking the first groups of people that are part of the programmes we run by May 2015. This will include those who would like to take part in workshops on nature therapy and dementia care or nature therapy and autism as well as time out for those on our Forces of Nature programme. A full calendar of events is available.
Meanwhile if you would like more information then go to www.naturetherapyportugal.com
November 2014
This month saw the first birthday of Nature Therapy CIC It also saw us getting Contender in Portugal fit for purpose for those on our programmes to attend next year. We have created some amazing Nature Quests such as the Cave of Secret Carvings, the Neolithic Quest, Walking the Labyrinth and Dancing with Horses. The unique environment at Contender will help us build on these UK Quests to include the Sunrise and Rock Art quests amongst others.
To date we have run solely on volunteer support but we are now looking forward to our second year and the need to create employment to be able to run Nature Therapy CIC on a committed basis. So, we are busy seeking funding that will help us make the next step.
The end of November saw the Isle of Wight Local Authority Short Breaks team provide us with a small grant to enable us to move forward with the sensory mapping programme for children on the spectrum/ADHD. We will be building on this resource to look at how sensory mapping might reduce bullying.
This month saw the first birthday of Nature Therapy CIC It also saw us getting Contender in Portugal fit for purpose for those on our programmes to attend next year. We have created some amazing Nature Quests such as the Cave of Secret Carvings, the Neolithic Quest, Walking the Labyrinth and Dancing with Horses. The unique environment at Contender will help us build on these UK Quests to include the Sunrise and Rock Art quests amongst others.
To date we have run solely on volunteer support but we are now looking forward to our second year and the need to create employment to be able to run Nature Therapy CIC on a committed basis. So, we are busy seeking funding that will help us make the next step.
The end of November saw the Isle of Wight Local Authority Short Breaks team provide us with a small grant to enable us to move forward with the sensory mapping programme for children on the spectrum/ADHD. We will be building on this resource to look at how sensory mapping might reduce bullying.
December 2014
December has seen us receive two amazing bits of news - but the information is currently embargoed until the details are finalised. Notwithstanding we have been working to get this work into place ready to hit the ground running.
We have also published a report into the findings from the Forces of Nature programme about the lessons learned in evolving this programme for ex members of the armed forces. We will be sharing these findings with members of the Armed Forces Covenant Board on the Isle of Wight in January 2015 before making the document public . The aim of publication is to help any other organisation thinking of delivering a project specifically to our ex service members of a community. Although by no means experts in this area of work, we have been asked by a few organisations to help them develop their projects.
We continue to move on in terms of governance of Nature Therapy CIC. We currently outsource our day to day financial management to Community Action Isle of Wight, and will soon be expanding their services to cover employment as we move towards taking on our first paid position in 2015. Our human resources will be outsourced to another small social enterprise called Populohr who are set up to help the voluntary and charitable sector in particular. In order to maintain the quality and standards involved in delivery of all our programmes we will also be outsourcing administration work to Ms Friday. In this way we hope to support many other small social enterprises in the localities in which we deliver our programmes as well as those we are working alongside.
Very much looking forward to 2015 and continuing to work alongside so many amazing volunteers, funders, commissioners, partners, and of course participants.
January 2015
Nature Therapy CIC are currently in the process of becoming an accredited centre to deliver the Basic Expedition Leaders Award at level 2 through Sports Leader UK. Sports Leaders UK provides nationally recognised leadership awards and qualifications that help people develop essential life skills such as organisation, motivation, communication and working with others. All of the awards and qualifications are practical - learners learn by doing rather than through written work. And, they don't do exams - assessment is made upon a learner's ability to lead and demonstrate their leadership skills for a certain period of time, within a specific setting. An interest in nature based activities, a positive attitude and a willingness to volunteer are all that is required.
Thanks to a grant from the European Social Fund this month we started a brand new programme called Women as a Force for Nature. This is a wonderful blend of self development involving nature aimed at women who are currently unemployed on the Isle of Wight. The programme then leads into a course on nature therapy and dementia care for those who are considering a career in health. It will run from January to April and was nearly fully booked within a week of marketing it.
Towards the end of January, Kim, our Founder Director won the national Venus Inspirational Woman of the Year in the Professional category for her work in Nature Therapy. A real accolade for all the outcomes we are achieving but more so for all the hard work put in by the numerous volunteers to create this wonderful little social enterprise.
February 2015
We are quite excited to become an accredited centre for running Sports Leaders UK national qualification in basic expedition assisted leadership. This fits well with nature therapy work as it is about using the great outdoors to nurture future leaders. To help create knowledge, confidence and self esteem through learning camp craft, navigation skills, risk assessments, how to deal with emergency situations and to be able to inspire and lead others. It also provides us with a safe framework in which to deliver our nature quests as there are several stages of external assessment involved to become an accredited centre and assessment of the programmes we put in place.
The Big Lottery have kindly awarded us £10,000 to create a pop up dementia theatre. This is a new and somewhat unique resource that has been created from feedback from the Nature Therapy and Dementia Care programme that has been running in Portsmouth. We took on board participants feedback and decided to separate learning about the sensory changes that take place in dementia and the taking part in the actual activities. The rationale for this was carers often wanted to attend with the person they were caring for and felt the knowledge base would not be appropriate for them. We were concerned that without the knowledge base that many people just might not understand the basis of sensory deprivation in dementia. So, we separated out the two elements and have tried to make sure that both remain fun and very hands on so we do not lose the fun and social networking element of the overall programme.
The pop up is already booked for university and hospital use in Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight throughout 2015.
Over the past year we have been busy developing a sensory programme for children with additional needs with children, young people and their families helping us to do this. This has resulted in the Short Breaks team on the Isle of Wight awarding us with several small grants to help build on this resource, including one for an indoor inflatable theatre that provides for an ideal sensory environment. So, we are really pleased to announce that we now have a nature therapy programme for children on the Isle of Wight who have a Short Breaks activities card. We will have some pop up sensory theatre sessions available in March and April and are looking for funding to run nature quests based on sensory mapping as a follow on from this. Details are on our workshop calendar and sessions will also be advertised locally.
March 2015
We experienced immense success with delivering our new and unique pop up dementia theatre at Southampton Hospital. We were delighted that so many people took the time to come and try it out, including medical consultants, doctors and a Professor. The feedback was heart warming and the pre and post pop up experience questionnaire showed an amazing 100% of people increased their knowledge of sensory deprivation in dementia.
This month all of the team have been updating their First Aid certificates so we have been busy learning revised techniques and names of medical procedures where we can no longer use those particular terms. The Heimlich Manoeuvre being one such term no longer acceptable - although the procedure remains the same. Now they have exciting new equipment that helps test your capabilities by shooting out a ping pong ball if you get the move correct.
We received some great news that the Community Safety Partnership are going to fund delivery of our Sports Leaders Basic Expedition Assisted Leadership course. So we are looking forward to offering people from the Isle of Wight (that meet certain criteria) the opportunity to gain this very worthwhile national qualification.
Nature Therapy CIC is now Trademarked so we are able to protect the Intellectual Property on our resources and programmes.
April 2015
This month we started delivery of our pop up sensory theatre for children . A total of 27 people attended our first session at Haylands Farm in Ryde on the island. The feedback demonstrated the pop up was well received by families, children with additional needs and their siblings.
Six volunteers came along to help support the session and they enjoyed seeing how the sensory work can make a real impact on children. There was lots of natural gloop, stickiness, smiles, sounds and tastes and most of the children stayed the major part of the day experimenting with different ideas. Feedback from families show their amazement that their child was so willing to participate and this goes in some ways to show what super volunteers we have that are so willing to be patient, helpful and enthusiastic.
Further sessions are planned and we are awaiting the outcome of a bid to expand the pop up experience free of charge to schools as a tool to demonstrate to children that each one of us is different and unique in how we sense the world around us.
May 2015
We received news that our bid to Children in Need (Pudsey) has been successful and from July 2015 we are able to expand the pop up sensory theatre and sensory mapping toolkit to a much wider audience.
Pudsey will be available to help us officially launch the project at the Short Breaks fun day on the 24th July. Details of this will be posted nearer the time.
The work for the Expedition Leader course starting in July continues with the development of personalised book for each participant to be published next month. We have ten places available on this fully funded course for those who meet certain criteria and we recruited nine people almost immediately.
Work has been taking place to finalise our annual report and accounts with auditors in June. We outsource our finance to Community Action Isle of Wight as an independent source of additional support. Seems we have had an incredible set up year with support from so many people, organisations, volunteers and funders. Thanks go to so many people for making this small enterprise such a great success. The report will be made final in June following an audit.
The Women as a Force for Nature programme concluded following successful completion of this European Funded programme. A full evaluation of the impact and outcomes will be made available in June once the funders have signed the report off. It has been an impressive group of women who are still meeting regularly and who are going on to achieve their visions set out early on in the course. Very proud to have been a small part of their progression. Six of the 20 women on the course who were unemployed have gone on to set up their own businesses. Very proud of what everyone achieved.
June 2015
This month saw the finalisation of the residential course we are running in Portugal on How to Do Nature Therapy. The course involves a week staying at the beautiful Loural Village in the mountains of the Gois region in Portugal. The point of a residential is to be able to suspend all other activities someone is generally involved in for that week so they can totally immerse themselves in learning about nature therapy without any other distractions. Not only does the venue lend itself to study, by providing accommodation and full board we can ensure that each participant has a period of unplugging from their everyday life so they can experience the full benefit of the gifts nature has to offer through all their senses. The rationale for using this centre in Portugal is not only to do with stunning locality but also the fact we can provide this course at a very reasonable cost compared to what it would cost in the UK at £475.
We are looking to provide this course on the Isle of Wight early in 2016 but there will be a higher cost reflecting the higher cost of living in the UK. We will be including an accredited level 3 certificate in therapeutic skills into this course once we have completed the accreditation process to deliver AptEd courses and qualifications.
On the topic of courses we are now offering a workshop for professionals and carers on nature therapy and dementia care. This is a one day, fun, interactive and very hands on day for anyone that wants to know how to improve the quality of life for someone with dementia using nature as a freely available tool. The cost is £95 and is held in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Isle of Wight. We will be running the course in Portsmouth and Southampton later in the year.
July 2015
This month is the launch of the Kindness Programme in its new and improved format. It amalgamates all our previous work with children and nature therapy to create a package for schools to look at building resilience in vulnerable children within a feel good school environment. The programme involves the pop up sensory theatre, our sensory mapping journal, undertaking a series of nature quests, and a nature therapy toolkit which is a rucksack with all the resources needed to get out and about in the great outdoors.
The pop up dementia theatre was part of the new pop up university project rolling out across Portsmouth. Solent TV undertook some coverage of the launch in which we were pleased to take part. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUNZxyZDE1I
At the end of the month we commenced delivery of the Expedition Leaders course with 8 course participants. The following weeks will see them learning about camp craft skills, navigation, risk management, first aid and leading groups. The programme concludes with an external assessment weekend in early September. The aim is to create safe and experienced leaders who are keen to follow careers in the outside environment. The participants need to complete 12 hours voluntary work and whilst some are doing this with Nature Therapy CIC, others have applied to the Duke of Edinburgh team and Challenge and Adventure charity. The real test will be to see if they are motivated enough to miss the Bestival in order to do their assessment weekend. Time will tell.
August 2015
What an incredibly busy month. The Kindness Programme was shortlisted for a national Teach First Innovation Award and whilst we did not make the finals it was a real accolade to have made the short list. Our evaluation model was finalised and we hope to gather data to explore if the programme improves acts of kindness and reduces incidences of bullying in the school environment. We have been heartened by the response from primary teachers and are looking forward to delivering the programme in schools on the Isle of Wight at the end of the summer holidays.
We also made links with the rather wonderful Decorative Artist Miranda Amapola who we hope to be working with in 2016 building her knowledge and expertise of creating art from nature into the work we are delivering with children with additional needs as part of the Short Breaks programme.
Nature Therapy CIC was successful in passing the assessment process to become an accredited centre for delivery of Apt Ed (previously OCN) qualifications. This will help us ensure that each of our three main programmes will have a recognised qualification or certification attached to it. We will be publishing our annual training calendar early in 2016 to reflect this. It will include a Diploma in Health and Social Care with a nature therapy and dementia care pathway, the Expedition Leaders course, accredited Bushcraft course, and a Level Three Certificate in Therapeutic Skills - amongst others.
September 2015
Kim helped with the launch of the Venus awards for Inspirational Women on the Isle of Wight and it was fantastic to see a turn out of around 120 people with some great sponsors.
Nature Therapy CIC was a catalyst for the set up of a new peer support group called Wight Sparks Unltd. It is aimed at budding social entrepreneurs on the Isle of Wight to help them develop their vision and lateral thinking. It has been set n up as part of our Pay it Forward Initiative for the help we received at the inception of Nature Therapy CIC when we received support from an organisation called Unltd. Wight Sparks Unltd has been formed according to a model delivered by the Association of Chief Executives - each member takes a turn in setting up a group and facilitating it either with a guest speaker or they deliver something meaningful. For example Kim did a session on creating a vision board. The group then get a chance to present a challenge they are experiencing in their enterprise and other members can offer some ideas for solutions or support. Over 20 people expressed an initial interest but not everyone could attend the first group held at Aspire in Ryde so artist Bethan Christopher created some amazing graphic notes. date for next session run by Aspire will be advertised.
We were delighted at the success of our learners on the Expedition Leaders award - the majority resisted temptation to go to the Bestival or were able to face the fear and do it anyway. Despite camping on a cliff top and tremendous winds and rain that wiped out many tents, the stalwarts faced the assessment panel and all passed with flying colours. I have no doubt they are all going on to further their careers in the outdoor environment. Meanwhile we are creating an accredited Level 1 Bushcraft course as a follow on which should be available in 2016.
We are over the moon that the BBC is coming to film our Kindness Programme in October. They will be filming in a school on the island where we will be working with over 300 children. The Kindness programme was recently shortlisted for a National Teach First award.
October 2015
During October we worked with 678 children on the Isle of Wight to deliver our Pop Up Sensory Theatre as part of our Kindness programme aimed at showing children that everyone is different. The aim is to reduce bullying, intimidation and isolation of children with additional needs. It was delightful to spend time with 8 children in one school who are Bullying Ambassadors as they explored their own way of sensing the world through the theatre experience and the subsequent senses game. The delight was in the enthusiasm they showed for wanting to help others. They were filmed by a BBC film crew who will show the footage during this year's annual Children in Need campaign in November. I am fully confident the children will not only be great bullying ambassadors for their school (Newport Primary) but also great ambassadors for Children in Need. One of the parents whose children used the theatre a while ago was also interviewed - many thanks Erin for taking the time out to be subjected to the big screen.
Some of the Team (Anna and Paddy) attended a workshop at the BBC studios to help us assess what has changed for the children taking part in our pop up theatre. We can see the immediate changes and record them along with a change in understanding and attitudes - but the challenge for us is measuring if the change that happens is longer term. We are using a graffiti wall to see if acts of kindness are improved in the school environment immediately following the pop up. We are also running focus groups in January 2016 to determine if there is any reduction in school bullying towards children with additional needs.
The Wolf Assisted Therapy research is continuing and we hope to publish a book on the subject in the summer of 2016.
We would like to thank Chris Whitehouse for his donation of £300 towards some drums for the children's pop up sensory theatre we are hoping to run in Parkhurst Forest once the weather improves. The children will be able to enjoy some Forest drumming sessions. They will be a great resource for our pop up dementia theatre as well. It is interesting that out of the thousands of participants that have taken part in both our pop up theatre experiences (children and older people) that no one has as yet disliked the sound of the Happi drum.
We would also like to thank 'Pirate' Paul Evans for his donation of a hanging tent for our Bushcraft course.
November and December 2015
We have been fortunate this month to be offered a small grant by the My Life a Full Life programme to continue with the support work we have been delivering for people with post-traumatic stress syndrome. We currently have over 150 people keen to benefit and we will be starting the Nature Quests again in January. Meanwhile we are working on an on line resource to support those who find it hard to function in a group setting and running pop in sessions around the island in December.
We have worked hard over the past two or more years to develop programmes and resources to benefit those that sense the world in an alternative way. We intend to spend time in the remainder of this year consolidating what we offer, how we offer it and who to. We are also building up our offer of accredited programmes and workshops. This requires time out at a quiet (ish) time of year to ensure we are able to offer quality training and sound assessments that meet the awarding bodies assessment criteria.
We will continue to deliver the pop up theatres and the social enterprise mentoring sessions. Denplan have kindly funded us to deliver a set number of additional pop up dementia theatre sessions to help increase awareness of sensory deprivation and the Isle of Wight Local Authority Short Breaks team and Parent Panel have provided us with a grant of £500.
January 2016
Happy New Year to everyone and we have our first half year courses, workshops and events on line now (see our events section and workshop section). We will be delivering the residential on how to do nature therapy course in Portugal at the end of September whilst the non residential will be held at the beginning of September in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Isle of Wight. Both these dates will be confirmed by next month when we have secured suitable venues. We are looking forward to delivering the how to do nature therapy course as we have had enquiries from people in Europe, Ireland UK, USA and Canada. It looks like it is shaping up to be an amazing international event.
January has seen the piloting of our new Wolf Medicine with some different groups, first with a group of social entrepreneurs, a group of parents, and then with a group of people in recovery. We have also delivered sessions for those on the PTSD support group. It is highlighting how adaptable this programme is. The self help book based on this programme should be available in July 2016 and it has been a total delight researching it and seeing what an impact it is already making on lives. Several trips to wolf sanctuary's are planned for February and March meanwhile we have commenced delivery again of our equine therapy programme despite the awful weather we have been experiencing. The poor little donkeys have been sheltering out of the rain since October it seems.
We have also put up on line the short film the BBC made on our work with children in primary schools to reduce bullying - the Kindness programme.
February 2016
The Nature Therapy training programme for the year has now been finalised along with the dates for delivery. These can be found on our Courses page. We are working on developing the pop up dementia experience into an accredited training programme as well so we can ensure that the message of Think Sense is spread as wide as possible whilst participants also get a recognisable professional teaching qualification in the process. We have over 80 organisations and individuals interested in participating in the Think Sense accredited training which has been found to lessen the level of agitation and aggression in those with dementia by understanding these types of behaviours are very often linked to distressing sensory input. An amazing 148 people attended our pop up dementia theatre in Southampton this month whilst a further 32 booked to come to our session at Ventnor Botanical Gardens on the Isle of Wight.
This month has also seen us working towards enhancing the pop up sensory theatre experience for children by building in more diverse sessions. We are quite excited to be publishing the full year programme of pop up events in March so we can build in the new sessions as the weather improves . The children's pop up is funded by the Isle of Wight Local Authority Short Breaks team and by Pudsey (BBC Children in Need), so we were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Sir Terry - but what an incredible legacy of support he has left behind. We continue to measure the outcomes of this work by looking at any reduction in bullying and increased incidents of kindness towards children with an alternative way of being. The insights and feedback from the children some months after taking part in a session has given us such heart - it seems children really enjoy being kind to each other. This appears to back up psychological and anthropological research that kindness and connectivity is imperative for human survival and well being.
Finally our PTSD support work has seen an increase in the numbers coming to a Nature Quest - no doubt because the rain has finally ceased. However we do continue to work on an individual basis with some people as coming to a group session can be overtly stressful for many people, not least if you have PTSD. We also provide a self help resource for those that do not want one to one or group support in the form a structured nature quest journal. In the space of just a few months 157 people joined the support group on the Isle of Wight which really highlights the scale of PTSD in a general population. You don't have to be a member of the Armed Forces to experience this distressing condition as it can be caused through domestic or sexual abuse, childbirth, bereavement and a range of childhood experiences.
March 2016
As spring and the warmer days are arriving so we get busier. There has been an increase in the number of Nature Quests we deliver as part of our support work for those with PTSD and the interest in our nature work as an adjunct to more formalised treatment has been attracting interested parties from as far away as the US .
We were able to finalise the details for the Wolf Medicine programme including the research tool we are going to use as part of the overall evaluation to determine impact on resilience for those in recovery. Final preparations were also undertaken in readiness for the Expedition Leaders Course.
We published our calendar of events for the year which this year contains some exciting accredited courses and workshops. On top of our qualification for Expedition Leadership we can now offer a qualification in Bushcraft and also Therapeutic Skills in Nature Therapy. Whilst we strive to find funding to support people through our awards, the costs from running these courses go straight back in to supporting the programmes we are running. This year we have free fully funded places for Expedition Leadership for those who are unemployed thanks to the Isle of Wight Foundation and we are also providing free places on the Bushcraft course to support anyone from any area that is homeless. The idea behind this is that at least people can learn survival skills such as keeping warm and dry in more remote places as towns and cities are starting to move the homeless on and even fine them in some areas.
April 2016
This month we had some really exciting news – the Big Lottery is funding our Wolf Medicine programme so we have now started delivery with a small group initially. One of the big questions about this metaphor based programme was if it would work with people with experience of psychosis. We are finding it is not as much of a concern as first thought as long as the individual is not actively psychotic. The wolves have behaved impeccably for us and participants are already reporting an improved sense of protection and strength. Far too early days to draw any conclusions from this but looking forward to seeing it evolve over the coming year. The programme is unique and is the first of its kind in the country so has already attracted some press attention. People are pretty curious as to how you can run a wolf therapy programme without hands on contact with wolves but love the fact we communicate through howling with them.
The sun shone on our First Expedition Leader course this year – mostly women with only one man in this group. There is another course in August,
We kicked started our team offer by working alongside a brilliant group of carers from a residential home for people with dementia. The aim of this work is to reduce the impact of compassion fatigue in carers that had such a devastating impact in North Staffordshire where so many died unnecessarily. The day was spent at the stunning Ventnor Botanical Gardens on the Isle of Wight and the focus was on making sure staff keep themselves and their colleagues well cared for.
Finally we have been working on a project called the Travelling Dementia Suitcase as a follow on from our Pop Up Dementia Theatre. Will update you on this exciting new project next month.
May 2016
The Travelling Dementia Suitcase project has come about as a result of our evaluation work and further consultation with carers of people with dementia that have taken part in a pop up dementia theatre. Younger carers advised us they would like to use the knowledge and skills they have gained in caring for someone with dementia to help others but they also wanted to get back into the work world. We want to continue to spread the message of the importance of positive sensory experiences for those with dementia and believe we can do this by helping carers deliver the Think Sense Message to other carers. When we proposed this, those we consulted with told us whilst they loved the skills they gained from the pop up, they could not manage such a large resource by themselves. Hence the Travelling Suitcase was born which contains a much scaled down version of the contents of the pop up theatre.
June 2016
We continue to consult on the Travelling Suitcase project and develop an accredited national qualification in Nature Therapy and Dementia Care. We will be working with Ascentis to provide this qualification free of charge to carers as part of a bid submitted to the National Lottery.
Thank you to the Skinners Company for a Lady Neville grant to help take forward our work on nature therapy and dementia care.
Evaluation of our work on the pop up sensory theatre for children is almost complete and is so heart warming. Early findings are just so positive about the impact the sensory based theatre work has had on children's lives with a significant increase in acts of kindness towards children with additional needs demonstrated. The full report will be available on our website in August.
July 2016
Delighted to report that our bid to the Big Lottery for funding for the Travelling Dementia Suitcase project for three years delivery has been successful in reaching the second stage of the application process. We are continuing to consult on this work including discussions with academics on the best way to evaluate the project. The primary aim of the Suitcase project is to reduce the impact of agitation and aggression on both the carer and the person with dementia. This reduction in aggression was a finding highlighted in our pop up theatre evaluation. Because of the poor outcomes associated with aggression such as carer burn out, increased medication and hospitalisation, we are focusing the Travelling Suitcase project specifically on this element of the dementia journey. More so as many carers face combative behaviours on a daily basis thus reducing their quality of life.
Thanks to the Isle of Wight Local Authority prospectus we now have some funding to run some new and innovative nature based Living Heritage workshops. The workshops will dovetail nicely with our current work on nature quests for those with PTSD, Carers of those with dementia or of children with additional needs and also the Wolf Medicine work for those in recovery by providing them with an onward pathway into education and employment. The workshops will provide taster sessions for moving further on to take a nationally accredited course with us such as Bushcraft or Expedition Leaders etc. The workshops will also benefit nature based Living Heritage practitioners who want to share their knowledge and expertise with others. Some of the planned workshops include Falconry,Bee Keeping, Growing and Preparing Herbs, Hedge laying and Foraging. A full calendar of events will be published in September.
August 2016
This has been a full on month as we made the most of the good weather to deliver courses. We had some fantastic groups learning about Expedition Leadership, Applied Therapeutic Skills and we also ran two of our Wolf Medicine courses. We are delighted that several of our volunteers were able to gain accreditation.
In between delivering the courses we have started work on coordinating the new living heritage workshops we will be running during the end part of 2016 and through 2017. The programme so far is looking pretty exciting with some great facilitators. After consultation with those who will be using the workshops we are covering drumming, wood turning, smudging, vision boarding, bush craft, using a labyrinth, felting and mosaics amongst a range of other interesting subjects. Keep your eye on our website for details of the webpages that will be detailing these and on our Face Book page. We are excited about this addition to our work as the workshops will not only provide taster sessions to encourage others into learning a new skill, they will also provide a venue for those with skills and crafts to share their knowledge and expertise. In addition they will provide interesting follow ups for those who use our services such as PTSD support and for those in recovery, as well as carers of people with dementia.
We were finally able to submit our second stage bid to the Big Lottery for Reaching Communities with the aim of expanding our work on nature therapy and dementia care. Thank you to all of those that helped with the further consultation that formed the basis of this. That included carers of people with dementia, people with dementia and other organisations. We will keep you posted on the outcome.
September 2016
Well this month the sun has continued to shine on our outdoor activities and this month we have been able to continue delivering Wolf Medicine. We have been able to upload some testimonials to the website and the data collection via the validated research tool is proving exciting. We have had some amazing feedback on this programme having been very privileged to work alongside some exceptional participants keen to continue on their recovery journey and embrace nature as part of that inner connection. We have decided to put on some extra courses to meet need as the benefits and enjoyment of the programme have spread by word of mouth and we now have a lot of interest.
We have also been finishing all the documentation, such as portfolios, required for the accredited courses we ran over the summer to get them signed off by the awarding bodies. This also included a super weekend with all the Sports Leaders UK Expedition Leaders taking their practical assessment so after some months of not seeing some of them - it was great to all get back together again. We did a 12 mile hike across the Isle of Wight, shared a cooked meal round the campfire and slept well in our tents before the external assessor arrived next day for the participant's presentations. Pleased to report that every single one passed despite some not inconsiderable nerves for a few.
The links to the new workshops are now live and it includes an exciting range of taster session workshops on nature based living heritage. We are also putting up our Nature Quests so there is an easier booking system for them as our numbers are now expanding. Previously it was just done on a 'see you next time' basis but that was getting harder to manage. You can see what is on offer by going to our courses and workshops section and clicking on Living Heritage - but bear in mind we are uploading new sessions all the time. You will be provided with a link to book your place on the sessions of your choice via Eventbrite.
We are hoping for a quieter month in October but if the weather remains good we will be putting on more exciting outdoor Nature Quests for those that have completed the Wolf Medicine programme or are part of our PTSD support work.
October 2016
Well the website detailing over 30 courses, workshops and quests for 2017 is now nearly completed - still some typos and links to sort out but been a major overhaul to be able to condense this all into one place to make it easier for people to find and book on.
We have started running the workshops but by far the most popular has been the workshop 'Sensitive: the survival guide'. This has been the result of our on-going research on Highly Sensitive People. The workshop was fully booked within 24 hours, and despite doubling the number of places available and setting a date for another workshop in November, this too is now fully booked. As we don't have any funding at present to run these workshops into the future it looks like for the first time we are going to have to make a small charge to attend any future Sensitive work.
October saw us out and about promoting the Think Sense message for the dementia care work. Thank you to the Alzheimer's Cafes for such a warm welcome and the chance to meet some wonderful people.
November 2016
There was great celebrations at Nature Therapy when everyone passed the external assessment first time for our accredited national qualification in Nature Therapy: Applied Therapeutic Skills.
Because of this success, we have decided to extend this course in 2017 to deliver an accredited qualification in Applied Therapeutic Skills (Nature Therapy and Children) and Applied Therapeutic Skills (Dementia Care).
The intention is to continue to build our portfolio of unique courses that will reach out to support many more people with nature therapy than is currently possible with our small enterprise. The more we can get the nature messages out the more people will benefit in the long run and training is the way forward with this without having to expand our organisation and ultimately the costs involved in running in.
We are also looking into the accreditation process for Continuous Professional Development workshops for professionals interested in bringing nature therapy into their work.
Finally, thank you to IRIS which is the local substance misuse service for purchasing us a super tipi for use on the Wolf Medicine programme. This has given us a wonderfully cosy space and has meant we can continue running Wolf Medicine as we slip and slide into the depths of winter. There will not be any Wolf Medicine for December and January although we do still have some support sessions running for those months for those that have done the course. Time will be spent instead in those darker months completing a training manual so we can start training others on how to deliver Wolf Medicine in 2017. Our research is demonstrating the impact is just too great not to spread this programme out to a much wider audience.
Word of mouth about Wolf Medicine has resulted in a great deal of interest in the programme that has now spread to the mainland with requests to attend from as far afield as Scotland. We are exploring how we can ensure on going support for anyone that does come from over the water as this is a vital part of the success.
December 2016
Sadly we were unsuccesful with the second stage bid to Reaching Communities but we are taking advice and resubmitting, however it will not be in the same format for free training for carers. Notwithstanding we will be delivering a training programme on nature therapy and dementia care in March 2017. This will lead to a national accredited leve 3 qualification in nature therapy and dementia care:applied therapeutic skills. It will be at a cost of £350 per person and we already have several people booked on. We didnt realise but Reaching Communities will not fund level 3 training, so depite the cost to the individual you will come out with a sound qualification at a higher level.
Organising a Train the Trainers programme for Wolf Medicine called Wolf Spirit is going well and this will take place in August 2017. Our heritage workshops are well attended with around 15 people booking on each one - the recent Vision Quest was great fun and the Highly Senstive People workshops have been sold out (but they are all free to attend) with some super feedback. So much so we will be repeating this workshop again in March 2017.
Finally, we had a small awards ceremony for all those that had been through Nature Therapy in 2016. Awards were presented for Sports Leaders UK Expedition Course, the Level 3 Applied Therapeutic Skills course and the Wolf Medicine Course. Special Leadership awards from Sports Leaders UK were also made to Flo Fleury and Leanne Power (who are both now volunteers for Nature Therapy) for overcoming particular challanges to qualify as expedition leaders. It was very moving to see the impact this small little organisation is having on people's lives and will hopefully continue to have throughout 2017 and beyond.
January 2017
Busy few weeks submitting a few bids for grants and working on the Wild Wolf Survival course for young people which will be a new course for building resilience in those aged 14 - 19 years of age. Thank you to the local substance misuse service for providing a small start up grant with which we can apply for other funding with as matched funding.
We have also published the results of an evaluation into the Wolf Medicine programme which we are delighted with. As a team we knew the programme was gaining some amazing results through the on going contact we have with the wolf medicine alumni - but we didn't realise to what extent and how it was actually making a difference.
You can access the full report on this website under Wolf Medicine - but the headlines are that is has a sustained impact on reducing anxiety and improving a sense of connection, community and social networks. We know from work done by Professor Russell and his team for the Scottish Government in reviewing nearly 60 research studies that the element leading to the best possible outcomes for those in recovery is building social networks. Wolf Medicine helps with this by each group forming its own wolf pack where they take lessons from the wolf about looking out for each other and supporting each other. Its been fantastic to see how this works in reality and how pack members really reach out to each other when a bit of extra help is required. What was interesting was participants felt the course gave them a spiritual framework to work from (we do no promote any form of religion) - being immersed in nature was that spiritual component and they felt that spirituality is not addressed in more formal mental heath services.
February/March 2017
As spring is starting to unfurl it miracles, so we have some great news for you that has taken place over the past couple of months. First we have received funding for the continuation of our Wolf Medicine programme. Sovereign have provided a grant so we can spread the programme to Southampton. Secondly Seedbed has provided us with a grant to continue delivering the programme on the island, but expand our reach by inviting anyone in recovery from right across the country to come and experience the benefits of taking part. Seedbed certainly is an incredible grant giving organisation as they work very differently from others. They work nationally to seek out causes they want to fund, so there is no application process. You get invited out of the blue for a discussion based on a recommendation that your organisation is achieving something a little bit remarkable. My goodness that was a delightful and very special experience.
Our workshops on Highly Sensitive People have been well received with participants describing them as life changing. The relief for those who attend to find out there are others who experience the world deeply just like they do is a cathartic release. We have compiled a consultation report from working with 56 people over the past few months and will submit this for funding to help secure a more substantial basis for taking this work forward. Thank you everyone who has taken part thus far.
Finally we have received funding from the Heritage Lottery fund to deliver a family based project. Working alongside 20 volunteer families we have been adapting ten Isle of Wight legends into children's stories. The intention is to provide 200 families with free days out in nature to visit the locations where the legends were born. There are activities to do at each of the sites such as nature caching and finding the fairy door. We truly hope families will enjoy this project as much s we are creating it.
April 2017
Thanks to a Southampton Local Authority Child and Adolescent Mental Health grant we will be delivering the Kindness programme in a set number of primary schools across Southampton. To date we have contacted 15 primary schools in the area to arrange delivery of the programme using a whole school approach over the coming year. We are working on refining our outcome measurement tools to ensure we capture the impact of the programme on children's resilience to bullying and unkindness. We are hoping to train teachers to use the programme themselves in forthcoming years.
All ten of the legends we are using in our Heritage lottery funded project have now been adapted for children. Currently 10 of the volunteer families are working on a legend each to hide a nature cache for older children to track down through a series of clues. For younger children they will be able to look for the fairy door that has been placed at the locality of each of the legends. This project has attracted much interest locally and we have been inundated with offers of help. A local writers group is supporting us in this endeavour and helping to arrange publishing and book launches in time for the summer holidays when families are most likely to use the resource.
Finally we have submitted a revision to the plans for our work on nature therapy and dementia care to the Big Lottery and are now waiting to see if we can proceed to stage two more successfully this time round. Fingers crossed. If we are successful we hope to be working with families with a loved one with dementia in residential care to help them continue to communicate with each other. Many understandably lose heart when family members no longer recognise them or can talk with them. It hurts. Using our sensory based communication approach family can continue to have precious time together even though language and memory have become fragile.