It is so important, as many of us have discovered lately, to connect and ground ourselves in natural surroundings for our mental health. Noticing nature and taking time to appreciate it, from going for a walk in our local park to discovering far distant lands through nature programmes on the television, is proven to have a positive impact on our wellbeing.
Bringing calm, solace and joy, in the past year, nature has been a saviour and a light for so many. We have watched with more keen interest than ever as the seasons have changed, the birds have fed, as our planted seedlings have grown and we've immersed ourselves more than ever on our daily walks, or by admiring nature out of our windows. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, a week dedicated to raising awareness among communities of the breadth and depth of mental health problems so many of us will face in our lifetimes. This year's awareness week is focusing on a simple thing that can help all of us on our journey to good mental health and that is Nature. Nature can't solve all of our problems, but it can really help put things in perspective, take the pressure off and bring, calm, joy and wonder to our daily lives.
With this in mind, we are thrilled to be sharing our new series of online sessions to support wellbeing through nature connection and creativity. We want to help our community to get closer to nature, despite restrictions, and reap the rewards of spending time connecting with the world around us. The sessions have been made possible with funding from the Culture Recovery Fund for heritage and aim to help our project to continue to support the mental health and wellbeing of our community as we continue through difficult times and begin to recover from the past year. We hope you will be joining us for some, or all, of our upcoming online sessions, which take place on Zoom. Each session is needs to be pre-booked via the ticket links below and costs just £3.00. Here's what we've got coming up for you to take part in and let's all get a bit closer to nature together:
An introduction to the Wu Qin Xi “Five Animal” Health Qigong with Sue Guest | 22nd May 2021 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Join Qigong instructor Sue Guest to find out more about Health Qigong and the ‘5 animal exercises’ that link the tiger, deer, monkey and bird to physical and mental health. This is a relaxed session suitable for adults and accompanied children. Families are welcome.
Botanical inks and eco pigments with Carolyn Morton | 26th May 2021 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Join us to for an experimental creative workshop using ink made from plants. This session is for anyone who would like to make inks from plants and explore the results with others. It’s a follow up to Carolyn’s workshop for Boundary Way Project last Autumn which introduced the botanical ink making process. There will also be an opportunity to follow up the session with a collaborative project via post, with a follow up in a second session to take place on the 23rd of June.
Gentle movement, mindfulness and meditation with Clare Wassermann | June 14th 2021 @ 10:00 am -12:00 pm
Join us for a seasonally themed mindfulness, meditation & wellbeing session with artist and meditation tutor Clare Wassermann. The theme for this session is the Sun, as Summer is underway and the earth is warming. The session will consist of guided gentle movement and meditation with prompts relating to the Summer season and Boundary Way.
Summer Solstice folklore with Anne Marie Lagram | 21st June 2021 @ 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Join artist & folklorist Anne Marie Lagram to celebrate the Summer Solstice and magic of midsummer from her Shropshire Garden. Anne Marie is an artist and folklorist based in Shropshire. She will be sharing the traditions, folklore and plants of this time of year. She will demonstrate how to make & decorate seasonal honey biscuits, create a simple floral circlet & natural amulets as well as constructing a sun-wheel of seasonal plants. She’d love you to join in by sharing your traditions with her in this most informal and friendly virtual gathering.
Botanical inks collective with Carolyn Morton | 23rd June 2021 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Are you interested in being part of a collective sharing how you use botanical inks and learning together? Join us for the second of two experimental creative workshops and sharing sessions using ink made from plants.
Gentle movement, mindfulness and meditation with Clare Wassermann | 15th July 2021 @ 10:00 am -12:00 pmA session of gentle movement, mindfulness and meditation inspired by Summer with Clare Wassermann. Join us for a relaxing and friendly morning of guided mindfulness and meditation to support wellbeing. The theme for July’s session will be the sun and warmth, growth, unfurling and relaxation.
Once again, thank you to the Culture Recovery Fund for heritage for making this programme possible. We are also delighted that our programme is part of Season for Change, a UK-wide cultural programme inspiring urgent and inclusive action on climate change.
