EcoWild works in green spaces across B&NES to help people and nature thrive together. We partner with the Community Farm at Chew Valley, deliver sessions in Norton Town Park and by the Radstock Miners Pond, in the Roundhouse at Greyfield Woods, High Littleton, at the Botanic Gardens in Bath, and by kind invitation of the owners, at Combe Hay vineyard.

We have been going for ten years and run children and family sessions as well as adult wellbeing, training and seasonal celebrations.

Like most of our wellbeing courses, Nature’s Respite is for carers, people who struggle with anxiety & depression or because they are isolated. We’ve been running wellbeing courses using this framework for many years and its a formula that works. A day of mindfulness, movement and creativity, with nature connection and time for reflection. There is a gentle flow to the session so that its structured but still very relaxed and centred around the participants.

For people who have very demanding caring roles they really need this to recover enough energy and sense of self to continue. Others are managing long-term health conditions which can bring them down, have recently been bereaved or come through serious illness. They gain vital resilience and perspective that can support them way beyond the duration of the session or even the course. The habits and skills we practice are lifelong mechanisms to reduce suffering.

We consulted parent carers to find out what would work for them in terms of timings, and from the responses have scheduled it fortnightly, and from 9.30-2pm.

It is funded through a B&NES COMF grant for B&NES residents to support physical and mental health through respite and nourishing practices in nature. Hot drinks will be offered and toilets are available at the site. The woodburner will be lit and sheepskins will add to the sense of a winter retreat. It can be surprising how much of nature is worth seeing at this time of year, with interesting fungi and birds not hidden by leaves.

People can register on ecowild.org.uk/book-now or contact me [email protected]/ 07812155659

There are six days in total, starting 12th January.