Forest Therapy and Social Ventures

Back in 2022 I heard about another Churchill Fellow, Lucy Duggan, who had researched the health benefits of nature connection. Keen to know more and wondering how this might fit with my care farming work I decided to sign up to her Forest Therapy Practitioner Course.

This accredited course covers group facilitation skills, leading safe sessions in nature and the impact of time in nature on our health as well the underpinning theories and research. I loved completing the practical sessions in nature and the synergies I discovered with care farming.

You may remember from previous blogs that forest therapy along with care farming, animal assisted interventions, social and therapeutic horticulture, eco therapy, facilitated green exercise and wilderness therapy are all part of the umbrella discipline of green care.

Forest therapy offers purposeful interactions with nature through a series of invitations that encourage participants to connect with their surroundings and senses. Sessions conclude with a cup of tea and possibly something small to eat. I find this a fascinating concept and wonder how this fits in with: food as part of a care farming session, food and a sense of place and food being used therapeutically...

This is something I find myself considering at present as I embark on an entrepreneurial incubator. In September I was awarded one of seven places in this years Social Ventures Programme from the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. The programme is for people looking to make lasting social or environmental change.

Since my Churchill Fellowship I've been working to create a tangible initiative that blends care farming, food and therapeutic interventions and with the support of my mentors and the academic staff at Social Ventures I look forward to bringing this to life in 2025.