Fostering Social Inclusion

Forest of Mercia/GrowWell: Common Care Project
Common Care is a partnership between the Forest of Mercia, the GrowWell Project and South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare (SSSH).

GrowWell commission volunteering programmes from the Forest of Mercia, encouraging new service users with mental distress issues, through SSSH. The service users will typically work in public open spaces and common areas on tasks that are specifically designed to match their capabilities. They will work, where appropriate, with selected members of the general public who volunteer with the Forest of Mercia.

 

West Midlands Region: Forest School Woodland Improvement Grant
Forest School is an inspirational process that offers children, young people and adults, regular opportunities to achieve, and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands on learning experiences in a local woodland environment.

 

Twiglets
Twiglets is a themed education initiative created to engage children aged two to five years old and their parents and carers. Activities are based around nature and the environment, encouraging families to appreciate value, use and enjoy their local green space. Each session involves indoor and outdoor activities where possible. Twiglets illustrates how the natural environment can be a wonderful and stimulating backdrop in which to learn, play and develop, no matter what the weather!

 

Wye Wood Project Herefordshire
Wye Wood began in Spring 2003 as an innovative partnership initiative developed by the Herefordshire Sustain Project, a project hosted by Small Woods, looking at how local woodlands could contribute to health improvement in Herefordshire. The initial project partners and concept have developed in to the programme we see today, working across the County with participants referred from the Health, Education and Probation services.

Wye Wood activities range from walking to coppicing and creating coppice craft items. In order to establish progression routes for participants, a Wye Wood Social Enterprise is being developed.

 

Tick Wood Project
The Tick Wood Project began in April 2008 aimed at Priority Prolific Offenders (PPO’s) with a high degree of acquisitive crime, usually to fund an addiction to illegal drugs or alcohol. It demonstrates how the natural environment and learning new skills can provide positive intervention and could be replicated throughout the country.