Wellbeing through Woodcraft

Wellbeing through Woodcraft is a pilot wellbeing through nature project that seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of a new and innovative social prescription-based approach to delivering support to individuals who have been adversely affected by the Corona virus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. This would include those with “low level” mental health problems such as depression and social anxiety related to the lockdown, as well as those with a previous history of mental health problems who have been unable to socialise or spend time in the outdoors due to the lockdowns.

We plan to extend the physical and mental benefits of contact with nature to a wider group of people, including those in lower income areas and those who may experience a physical, mental or social challenge. Dryad CIC plans to integrate a woodland activity programme into the NHS via social prescribing and the delivery of a series of twelve outdoor wellbeing sessions at our purpose designed woodland workshop in Park Woods.  These sessions will include a broad range of bush craft and woodland craft activities, specifically aimed at engaging people who have experienced difficulties during the pandemic.

Participants for these activities will be referred to us via cooperation with the SCVS social prescribing Hub for Gower. Each session will have a maximum of 10 participants and we aim to run sessions with different people from a wide range of demographics to evaluate the effectiveness of the process. We will also produce a short documentary film to demonstrate the health and wellbeing benefits of nature-based therapy. The findings from this pilot project will be added to the Wales Social Prescribing Research Network database, which will help to establish a Wales wide code of practice for GP referrals and nature-based interventions

The activities covered on our courses include Foraging for food and medicine, safe knife, and sharp tool handling, carving wood using hand tools, fire craft and primitive fire lighting methods, charcoal making, outdoor cooking techniques, first aid, shelter building, willow weaving, natural cordage, bronze casting, flint knapping, blacksmithing, hide tanning and ancient textiles, pottery, woodland management, habitat creation.

The benefits of spending time in nature are widely recognised. We also work closely with a wide range of organisations to provide therapeutic activities for those who need it most. This includes EYST the Swansea Refugee Council and other organisations who work with people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.