The Poundbury Nature for Wellbeing Project has been named as a beneficiary of the Wild Isles Aviva Community Fund – a new £1million funding pot to help community groups across the UK to protect and restore nature in their local area.

The local project, run by the charity People Need Nature, aims to provide benefits for people's mental health and wellbeing, offering a varied programme of activities set within the wildlife-rich places of Poundbury. 

Organisers said they are "delighted" to have been chosen for the Wild Isles fund, and the money will go towards testing how it can best run a Green Social Prescribing Project for the community, and what are the most effective activities to run.

This pilot project will help local people who are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing. Green Social Prescribing refers to activities prescribed by local GPs to patients, where their doctor feels that they will benefit from spending time in nature and taking part in various activities in nature. 

The Poundbury Nature for Wellbeing Project will be organising and providing the activities, using the money raised from this Crowdfunder and elsewhere. 

These will include:

• Being in nature, walking in nature and talking about nature.
• Managing the amazing wildlife-rich places we are making in Poundbury
• Using Citizen Science to notice and understand nature. 
• Butterfly and Bee recording.
• Counting Bee Orchids and other wildflowers
• Creating art, singing, writing poetry, creative writing about nature.
• Mindfulness, gentle exercise programmes including Tai Chi, learning breathing techniques that can help health and mood.

Activities will be prescribed by local GP practices and offered to participants freely, with travel expenses paid. Group sizes will be small so everyone benefits. 

People Need Nature was formed in 2015, to promote the value of nature in people's everyday lives – the emotional, sensory and spiritual value of nature. 

The Poundbury Nature for Wellbeing project follows on from the last three years of work, in which the charity has been working with the community to create and enhance new areas for wildlife, close to where people live. 

You can read more about the project on here.

'Communities have struggled for many years'

Miles King from People Need Nature said: "Although it may seem a wealthy place, Poundbury is a very mixed community, as is neighbouring Dorchester. 

"The area where the project takes place includes communities that have struggled for many years, and Covid has hit them very hard. Many people are now suffering from poor mental health and we aim to provide a range of activities so there will be something to appeal to everyone. 

"The first set of activities that we are planning include simple walks and talks in nature, sitting in nature and appreciating its beauty, looking for awe in nature and being mindful in nature. 

"We will also be organising management activities as the places we have created need to be looked after. Management includes cutting and raking hay meadows, collecting wildflower seeds, growing them on and planting them out to create new places rich in wildlife.

"We will organise butterfly and bee survey walks and orchid counts, for participants to learn about the different kinds of wildlife in Poundbury's nature-rich places, and collect useful information about the nature that's moving in to these new places. 

"There is strong evidence that just being in nature improves mood and outlook; and that getting active physically in management activities like hay mowing and raking also improves wellbeing."

Funding from the Wild Isles Crowdfunder would help pay for tools, waterproofs, gloves, high visibility vests and other protective equipment, for those taking part in management activities.

Creativity in nature

Mr King added: "We will work with expert practitioners in the arts to use creativity to boost people's mental health and wellbeing. These include poetry workshops, creative writing workshops, painting workshops, singing activities and as many others as we can organise. 

"Art in Poundbury recently organised their first Art in the Park event with 80 artists taking part. Art in Poundbury is very keen to work with us on this project."

Funding from this Crowdfunder would pay for practitioners to run activities as well as materials for painting. 

Mindfulness and exercise in nature

Mile continued: "Part of the pilot project will explore using mindfulness and exercise activities including Yoga, Tai Chi and Qi Gong in a nature-rich environment. Participants will also learn about the health benefits of active breathing and movements which they can learn during the project, and then practice at home." 

The Aviva funding will also be used to pay expert practitioners to run sessions in the wildflower meadows and other nature-rich places in Poundbury. 

The Wild Isles fund is a crowdfunding scheme. Donations can be made online at https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/the-poundbury-nature-for-wellbeing-project and Aviva will double each donation, up to a maximum of £500.