Ecotherapy practitioner, Emily Malik and a friend set up EcoWild, an organisation aiming to engage people within the natural environment, in 2013.

She has worked tirelessly to get more people outside and into the woods, to positively impact their well-being as well as physical and mental health.

Activities run by EcoWild include: tool and craft, natural art, wildlife exploration, foraging, fire cooking, Mindfulness and Tai Chi, all of which are aimed at building connection, confidence, and getting people to enjoy being outdoors.

The organisation runs courses for people of all ages, aiming to stimulate curios- ity, relieve tension and bring a sense of peace and connection amongst all of the chaos in life. Emily told The Journal: “Our Fire Cooking, Mindfulness and Tai Chi courses are funded by B&NES Wellbeing College, which is amazing as people are able to come out and enjoy nature, for free, in a safe environment.

“Each week is different, especially when cooking, as wetrytocomeupwitha new meal to make every week. It brings excitement to the group, everyone is so hands-on and wants to be here. I have found that this helps to relieve stress and take away any outside-world anxieties, as often people come to have something to do and be around other people.

“A lot of our attendees are referred here from their GP to empower their wellbeing and health. It could be that they are socially isolated, or

have gone through traumas and long-term impactful illnesses, everyone who comes here is treated with sensitivity, and never pushed to do more than they would like. They get the benefit from being outdoors with the support of a group, when often, their conditions may stop them from doing so.”

The free courses are situated in Greyfield Woods, High Littleton, and act as EcoTherapy for the groups of people that Emily, and her colleague, Leah, take into the woods to get away from the tensions of daily life.

During the Fire Cooking session, group members forage for dry wood to build a fire, light it, prepare the food, and cook it all on top of the fire whilst sitting around with a cup of tea. The aim is to teach people how to manage the heat of the fire to get the best food results using a tripod and grill, wooden stakes or the embers from the fire.

The group has a heavy social presence, and since the start in 2013, has grown large in numbers, with up to twenty people attending at one time. One of the group members said: “It is so easy to be outside, so it is a real shame that people have become accustomed to being inside. I love coming here and getting stuck in with it all. The fact that I can come and know that I will get to be outside for a couple of hours is what brings me here, as well as the people that I have met.”

Another member said: “I have been coming for nearly four years, after seeing a leaflet for EcoWild in my doctors when I was recovering from cancer.

“I was really weak and could barely walk 200 metres around my house, but since coming here, I have seen incredible improvements in my physical and mental health.

“It shows how important it is for people to get outside, walk and be surrounded by nature every Wednesday. This group has given us all something to look forward to, and for me, it’s more of a social meeting now. I do not see why more people are not coming, as it is a free organisation.”

Scientists have said that adults should be spending at least twenty minutes outdoors a few times a week, but instead spend, on average, five hours on their phones. Emily commented on this: “It’s about meeting people at their point in life and seeing what is best for them at that time. We need to give more meaning to being outside and highlight how freeing it is. I have seen it in children, the intensity of being inside disappears as soon as they get outside and explore.

“We welcome people from all walks of life, and have spoken to people who have come to these sessions having told me that it has saved them. There is something

about our innate connection to nature that gives us the ability to come to terms with our life experiences more easily when we spend time in the woods or other beautiful landscape.

“For me, this process is about using a person’s joy and energy to personalise their experience with the outdoors and get them to enjoy the atmosphere.

“How people get access to our courses is so important to us, as there are thousands

of people in the area that need our help, but don’t know we are here. I would love to see more people coming to join in.”

To attend a course, visit: https://www.wellbeing collegebanes.co.uk/index. php/Activity/woodland-fire- cooking/7289

To contact Emily for more information, email her at: [email protected] or visit the Facebook page: facebook.com/EcowildCIC