Access to Nature
Open Road, is working with Natural England’s Access to Nature programme to help service users in the final transitional stage of their treatment.
The new initiative sees a group of Open Road’s clients regularly visiting Gravel Wood, at Tendring near Clacton to learn about woodland management and take part in hands-on activities such as coppicing and clearing streams.
The area of woodland the group are working on has not been touched since 1987, so the organisers hope their work will pay off by transforming it into an area the local community can enjoy.
Open Road is delivering this project in partnership with the Green Light Trust, an environmental charity.
Open Road Project Worker, Vicky Jones, explains: “Our project helps our clients get their lives back together through volunteering and work experience as many will have gaps on their CV. The training they receive will help them to add a new skill to their CV. It also gets them into a routine.”
...regular contact with nature is good for you.
Giles Merritt, Natural England’s Access to Nature advisor, said: “All the evidence suggests that regular contact with nature is good for you. Even something as simple as a walk in the woods can have enormous benefits. We hope that this project will help Open Road’s clients to enjoy visiting the woodland, learn new skills and make new friends.’’
Vicky added: “One of the biggest challenges faced by our clients is the struggle with misconceptions. Those on the scheme say they feel isolated from the rest of society and incentives, like Access to Nature, helps us to help them integrate back into society.
“Taking part in this manual work, which has an enjoyable element to it, takes away the feeling of community service. It’s really great to see the changes in people and see them get involved and fill their day with meaningful activities.
“We also look at the woodland to reflect on what has been achieved. We remind our clients that just like their treatment, the woodland needs to be carefully nurtured to grow. The recent snowy spell has helped raise spirits as we roasted chestnuts and chopped down holly to make Christmas decorations.”