RESIDENTS of the Frodsham and Helsby area can benefit from a range of free nature-based activity courses to help boost their health and wellbeing this spring.
The 12-week courses are part of Cheshire’s Natural Health Service, which is managed by The Mersey Forest in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council.
The service uses the natural environment to address local health inequalities and improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and ommunities in the area.
There are four courses currently taking place across some of West Cheshire’s parks, green spaces, and woodlands.
• Mindful contact with nature – Taking place in Helsby, Frodsham and Northwich these sessions are focused on nature-based mindfulness practice and outdoor Tai Chi. This course is designed to help you build resilience from day-to-day triggers of stress and are also shown to increase capacity to self-manage long-term chronic conditions.
• Healthy conservation – A fun outdoor session, taking part in the wonderful Whitby Park in Ellesmere Port.
• Health walks – A safe and sociable place to take part in guided walks around Marbury Country Park, which are tailored to individual needs and designed to gradually increase physical activity levels and share experiences. The sessions also include a creative element and offer the chance to produce imagery inspired by nature.
• Gardening for all – Gardening and food growing activities in a social setting at Whitby Park, Ellesmere Port. The guided sessions encourage tailored levels of physical activity and focus on learning new skills and meeting new people.
Many things affecting health can’t be treated by doctors or medicines alone. That is where initiatives such as the Natural Health Service come in, offering people alternatives which might be suggested through social prescribing.
To speak to a social prescribing organisation in the local area, simply contact your GP who can put you in touch with a local link worker. Research shows that access to and use of green spaces, whether in towns, cities or villages or further afield, provides mental health benefits, including restoration from stress, reduced psychological distress and decreased depression and anxiety. Green social prescribing, such as that offered through the Natural Health Service, is a great example of this.
Gareth Howatson, co-ordinator for the Natural Health Service, explains: “Through our Natural Health Service we’ve been able to connect with so many amazing members of the public who have taken part in our activities. By holding these activities outdoors, in the safe spaces that nature provide, many people feel comfortable to share experiences with one another which is hugely beneficial.
“As humans, we all experience what feel like our own challenges in life, and we often forget that other people are also facing challenges of their own. Our programmes remind us of this and provide comfort in knowing we aren’t facing our challenges alone”.
A full list of upcoming Natural Health Service courses can be found on The Mersey Forest website.
To find out more about how to access the Natural Health Service courses please email mail@merseyforest.org.uk or call 01925 816217. All sessions are free of charge to access.