On the southern edge of Shipley Country Park, lives Mapperley Wood Nature Reserve, a narrow belt of woodland with a stream running through it and plenty of wildlife to see. 

Our Wilder Communities Officer, George Jones, led a day of taster wild wellbeing sessions at Mapperley Wood for staff from Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust to experience.

First up was an activity based on how to start a campfire. Each small team was asked to find a number of different length sticks to be used as firewood. Next up was to have a go at using a flint and steel fire starter. Each team took one cotton wool ball dipped in vaseline and then placed it on a tray. Using the flint and steel, the teams used the tool to flick the sparks onto the cotton wool to start the fire. They then used their sticks to add to the flame to keep the fire going.

Toasted marshmallows were next on the agenda! 

The next activity was for the teams to explore the woodland and see how many different species of plants and animals they could find. The teams were handed ID guides and recommended an app to use on their phone called 'Seek', where they could take a photo of a species and the app will use a database to figure out what that species is. After exploring the woodland the teams came back to share what species they had found.

A few members of staff who took part in the sessions shared their thoughts on the activities: 

“Its been great having the opportunity spend time relaxing in the woods, usually when your outside walking you don’t take the time to notice what’s around you.”

“ The session has been very calming.”

“I’ve never done activities like these before, it’s been very fun and I will be doing them again.”

George Jones also said: “Its been great having the different teams out to us to experience the benefits that these activities can offer. What has been particularly great to see and a good benefit has been giving these teams a chance to reconnect after not being together for 2 years during the pandemic. The feedback from the groups has been very positive, with participants saying how the activities have been fun, relaxing and how they will carry these on away from the session.”

To find out more about the work we do for wild wellbeing and for a number of different resources click here. We have worked with Derbyshire Mind and put a wild twist on their 5 Ways to Wellbeing, we use these actions in many of our activities to help people take notice of everything that surrounds them. 

Much of the work our Wilder Communities team lead have been funded by the Cadent Foundation, an organisation established to make a positive and lasting difference to local communities and the wider society.