This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness. Something that affects millions of people in the UK every year. Connection to others, whether that be family, friends, or the wider community, is so important for our mental health - but it’s been disrupted over the last two years due to the pandemic.
Here at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, we understand how restorative nature can be and also how wonderful it is at connecting people. Whether through volunteering activities, education or our wellbeing events, nature can be a great place to make friends. Our Leamington Green Connections (LGC) project officer, Kat Reay, has experienced this during the last two years of her project:
“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone when you’re walking or busy working side-by-side. Noticing and sharing the sights and sounds of nature can act as great icebreakers and there is less expectation for eye-contact or constant conversation. With less pressure, I’ve often seen weekly interactions between my volunteers and wellbeing groups blossom into wonderful friendships. My volunteers come from very different backgrounds and cover a 60-year age range, but that doesn’t matter when you’re working together on a common goal. My groups will often meet for walks, a coffee, or another activity outside of sessions and many of them are even about to take an art class together!”
