About
Run by Alison and Georgia, we aim to bring greater nature connection and wellbeing to healthcare staff and communities in the Howardian Hills, North Yorkshire.
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After the success of our last Green Social Prescribing project, we’ve been able to secure further funding to provide a new programme of support for those in need. Now managed under a new entity - The Nature Connectors - we are offering forest school for adults and ‘mindfulness in nature’ sessions, while teaching the wellbeing benefits of being outdoors.
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Running until February 2025, the new programme includes:
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Community Drop Ins (Fireside Friendship groups)
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Nature connection and wellbeing courses
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Healthcare and referral agency staff wellbeing sessions
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Further support via signposting and wellbeing toolkit
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Founded by Alison and Georgia, we aim to bring greater nature connection and wellbeing to healthcare staff and communities in the Howardian Hills and surrounding areas.
After the success of our last project at Ampleforth Abbey Orchards, we’ve been able to secure further funding to provide a new programme of support for those in need.
Although time-limited because of funding, we've been running forest school for adults and ‘mindfulness in nature’ sessions, while teaching the wellbeing benefits of being outdoors. We've offered:
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Community drop in sessions
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Nature connection and wellbeing courses
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Wellbeing sessions for healthcare and service referral agency staff
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Further support through signposting and a wellbeing toolkit (available to interested parties).
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Now funding has finished, we're on the look out for new venues, funding and other possibilities. Please sign up to the newsletter to be kept up to date (link on the home page).
Why is being in nature so important?
There is now a vast quantity of high-quality research showing that connecting people to nature:
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Improves mental wellbeing, vitality and happiness.
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Provides greater meaning, satisfaction and purpose in life.
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Fosters more pro-environmental and conservation behaviours.
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Improves overall health through e.g. stress reduction, improved sleep and increased exercise.
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Our twelve-week courses draws on these evidence-based studies, while using the Five Ways to Wellbeing as a framework.
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Combined, this helps make people healthier and happier, leading more positive lives with less reliance on NHS services.
About The Leaders
Alison Goodwin
Being born and raised in the countryside, Alison is passionate about the natural world and the outdoors. She has seen first hand how being in nature is immensely healing, after suffering a debilitating illness that left her bed-ridden at times. When able, she turned to nature for solace, soothing and calming her mind. The experience left her determined to teach others what she had learned.
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Since 2002, she's run wellness sessions & nature experiences for universities, NGOs, charities and outdoor experience companies. She's taken people to some of the most stunning areas of the UK on yoga, mindfulness and contemplative walking holidays since 2009. Alison set up Adventures for the Soul - a visitor facing business - in 2019 before branching out to community-based nature-connection sessions in 2021.
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She is a contemplative walks leader; yoga and mindfulness instructor; former Zen Buddhist of many years - as well as being a forest bathing, nature connection and stargazing enthusiast.
She also holds a BSc degree in Environmental Management and PG Cert in Conservation.
Georgia Davies
Georgia started teaching Science and Ecology back in the 90's after completing an Ecology degree from York University and a Masters In Natural Resource Management at Leicester.
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Her teaching career took her overseas and she was the Head of Sixth Form at a leading British School in Cairo. After a career break, she retrained as a Forest School Leader and, lately was the Nature Connections and Ecology Lead at Ampleforth Abbey Estate.
Georgia believes wholeheartedly in the many benefits to be brought by forming deep and lasting connections with nature, both for the individual concerned and for nature itself, having witnessed the effects over the course of her career. This new project is a culmination of 30 years of evidence and experience.
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