Keep Going Keep Growing

Join us: Nature connection and outdoor wellbeing project

Keep Going Keep Growing is our weekly nature connection and outdoor well-being group across different locations in Bristol. We do a range of gentle activities including movement, grounding practices, nature-based art and cooking over the fire. We always do a check in at the beginning and a round of gratitude at the end of each session. We believe that connection to yourself, to your community and to the wider natural world is key to holistic health and recovery. We know that spending time in nature can improve our mental health and through increased positive feelings of wellbeing, in turn we can help our natural environment thrive.  Our community is a safe space where people are welcome to show up whatever’s going on for them, to enjoy gentle practices and activities and be able to relax in the peace and tranquillity of our urban green spaces.
When is this taking place?
Every Tuesday Running from 10.30am – 1.30pm – March to November and 11am to 1pm November to March. The sessions are drop in so although we encourage you to attend for the full three hours it’s fine to come for as long as you are able.  We rotate between several venues in Bristol. These are currently Boiling Wells in St Werburghs, Strawberry Lane Community Allotment in Troopers Hill, Bridge Farm in Staple Hill and the Trinity Centre in Old Market.  Interested? Sign up is easy, just email growing@changesbristol.org.uk and we will send you a weekly email with directions on where to find us in advance. We ask that you reply to let us know that you are planning to join us (this is particularly important when we are cooking!). If you don’t have access to email, please call the office on 0117 941 1123 and we can add you to our attendance list.  Although this project is running on a weekly basis, you do not need to come along every week and can just attend on dates that suit you.
What will we be doing?
We will combine nature connection and wellbeing practices, mindfulness, creative nature based art, celebrating the seasons of the year and cooking food. Sessions will be based around the 5 pathways to nature connection:
  1. Contact The act of engaging with nature through the senses for pleasure e.g. listening to birdsong, smelling wild flowers, watching the sunset.
  2. Beauty Engagement with the aesthetic qualities of nature, e.g. appreciating natural scenery or engaging with nature through the arts.
  3. Meaning Using nature or natural symbolism (e.g. language and metaphors) to represent an idea, thinking about the meaning of nature and signs of nature, e.g. the first swallow of summer.
  4. Emotion An emotional bond with, and love for nature e.g. talking about, and reflecting on your feelings about nature.
  5. Compassion Extending the self to include nature, leading to a moral and ethical concern for nature e.g. making ethical product choices, being concerned with animal welfare.
We will combine these pathways together with the 5 ways to wellbeing, find out more about this set of ideas to make improvements on your life here. Through connecting with nature, some benefits to your wellbeing may include reducing stress, improving creativity, reducing anxiety, better sleep, growing food, learning simple wellbeing practices and connecting with others.
Things to be mindful of when joining sessions
  • Consider inclusive, non-discriminatory language when talking to staff and other members
  • Give space to others and distance if they request it
  • Please do not take photographs of participants 
  • Refrain from attending sessions under the influence of alcohol and other substances
  • Please keep information shared within the group confidential
  • Be patient with others
Please be mindful that we will be gathering outdoors in a variety of conditions. Ensure that you are dressed suitably for the sessions, take responsibility for your own physical wellbeing and always advise us if you have any mobility/access needs so that we can find suitable tasks for you.
Contact
Keep Going Keep Growing is run by our Lead Nature Facilitator – Jen Witts. Email – growing@changesbristol.org.uk Telephone – 0117 941 1123

Jen – Lead Nature Facilitator – You may have seen Jen at one of our peer support groups or at our weekly Walk & Talks. She has many years experience facilitating groups outside, focussed on promoting wellbeing and connecting with nature. Jen believes passionately in the ability of nature to transform our connection to ourselves, our land and our communities in a physical, emotional and spiritual sense. She finds many different ways to explore all of the ways to connect together and with nature with this group! One of her passions is to follow the Wheel of the Year – the traditional celebrations to mark the changing seasons.