Give Nature a Go
Dorset ICS nature-based staff wellbeing offer, in collaboration with Health and Nature Dorset (HAND)
Dorset has amazing greenspaces, from nature reserves to country parks and urban meadows to the rivers and coast. Spending time in nature can help you stay physically active, reduce your blood pressure, boost your mood, and increase your Vitamin D levels.
With support from Our Dorset’s enhanced staff wellbeing service (Here For Each Other), Health and Nature Dorset (HAND) has launched Give Nature a Go, a nature-based staff wellbeing programme for staff and teams working in health and care across Dorset. HAND is a collaboration of health and environmental sector organisations working together to promote the benefits and coordinate the opportunities for nature-based wellbeing across Dorset (covering Dorset and BCP council areas).
An exciting programme of nature-based activities has been designed for individuals and teams, touching on all five ways to wellbeing to relieve the pressures from work and help you relax, recharge and reconnect. Most of the sessions will focus on the five ways to wellbeing in some way to demonstrate how connecting with nature can support your wellbeing, while on the activity but also beyond.
- Be physically active
- Connect with other people
- Learn new skills
- Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)
- Give to others
Read blog: 120 minutes in nature a week may be the ‘threshold’ for health and wellbeing
Activities are ongoing, including:
- Wellbeing Walks
- Yoga in the Park
- Forest Bathing
- History Walks
- Practical Conservation Work
- Garden Tours
- Nature and Mindfulness
- Art in Nature
- Wild Writing
- Lots more!
Activities will be run across the county, and we are investigating offering activities on different days and times to suit everyone’s work patterns. Currently, activities are being planned at the following locations:
- Durlston County Park, Swanage
- Thorncombe Woods, Dorchester
- Upton County Park, Poole
- Wild Woodbury, Bere Regis
- Arne Nature Reserve, near Wareham
- Kingcombe Visitor Centre, Toller Porcorum
More locations will follow, including Bournemouth, North Dorset, and East Dorset.
Please Note: Staff are welcome to attend these activities during work hours as approved by their managers. Managers are also encouraged to prioritise the wellbeing of staff by supporting them to attend.
Click on the links below to register
Wellbeing Walks
Arne, Purbeck
- Friday, 14th April (14:00 – 16:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Arne
- Friday, 5th May (14:00 – 16:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Arne
Kingcombe Visitor Centre, Kingcombe
- Wednesday, 15th March (14:00 – 15:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Kingcombe
- Thursday, 27th April (10:30 – 11:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Kingcombe
- Wednesday, 17th May (14:00 – 15:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Kingcombe
Kingfisher Barn Visitor Centre, Bournemouth
- Thursday, 19th January (14:00 – 15:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Kingfisher Barn
- Wednesday, 15th February (10:00 – 11:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Kingfisher Barn
- Thursday, 23rd March (14:00 – 15:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Kingfisher Barn
- Wednesday, 19th April (10:00 – 12:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Kingfisher Barn
- Thursday, 18th May (14:00 – 15:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Kingfisher Barn
Thorncombe Woods, Dorchester
- Friday, 20th January (10:30 – 12:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Thorncombe Wood
- Thursday, 23rd February (10:30 – 12:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Thorncombe Wood
- Friday, 24th March (10:30 – 12:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Thorncombe Wood
- Thursday, 27th April (09:30 – 11:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Thorncombe Wood
- Friday, 19th May (09:30 – 11:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Thorncombe Wood
Upton Country Park
- Thursday 26th January (14:00 – 15:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Upton Country Park
- Thursday 23rd March (14:00 – 15:30) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Upton Country Park
- Thursday 27th April (14:00 – 16:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Upton Country Park
- Thursday 25th May (14:00 – 16:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Upton Country Park
Wild Woodbury
- Tuesday, 17th January (10:00 – 12:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Wild Woodbury
- Friday, 17th February (10:00 – 12:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Wild Woodbury
- Thursday, 16th March (10:00 – 12:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Wild Woodbury
- Monday 17th April (10:00 – 12:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Wild Woodbury
- Wednesday 17th May (10:00 – 12:00) Give Nature a Go: Wellbeing Walk – Wild Woodbury
Other Activities
Ancient Trails Pony Handling
The Ancient Trails Company, Dorchester
- Friday, 17 March 2023 (10:00 – 12:00) – Give Nature a Go: Ancient Trails Pony Handling – The Ancient Trails Company, Dorchester
Archaeology Walk
Little Bredy, Dorchester
- Tuesday 2 May (14:00 – 17:00) – Give Nature a Go: Archaeology Walk – Little Bredy
Maiden Castle, Dorchester
- Wednesday 1 February (14:30 – 16:00) – Give Nature a Go: Archaeology Walk – Maiden Castle
Avon Heath: Scrub Clearance and Bonfire
Avon Heath Country Park
- Friday 24 February 2022 (10:30 – 12:30) – Give Nature a Go: Scrub Clearance & Bonfire – Avon Heath Country Park
Butterfly Survey and Orchid Walk at Avon Heath
Avon Heath Country Park, Poole
- Wednesday, 10th May (10:30 – 12:30) Give Nature a Go: Butterfly Survey and Orchid Walk at Avon Heath
Creativity in Nature
Weymouth
- Friday 10 February 2023 (10:30 – 12:30) – Give Nature a Go: Creativity in Nature – Weymouth
Forest Bathing
Kingcombe
- Saturday, 11 February 2023 (14:00 – 15:30) – Give Nature a Go: Forest Bathing - Kingcombe
Shaftesbury
- Tuesday, 14 February 2023 (10:00 – 11:30) – Give Nature a Go: Forest Bathing - Shaftesbury
- Wednesday, 10 May 2023 (10:00 – 11:30) – Give Nature a Go: Forest Bathing - Shaftesbury
Thornecombe
- Tuesday, 11 April 2023 (10:00 – 11:30) – Give Nature a Go: Forest Bathing - Thorncombe Wood
Upton
- Wednesday, 15 March 2023 (12:00 – 13:30) – Give Nature a Go: Forest Bathing - Upton Country Palk
Heritage Walks
- Thursday 23 February 2023 (14:00 – 15:30) – Give Nature a Go: Heritage Walk – Upton Country Park
- Thursday 27 April 2023 (14:00 – 15:30) Give Nature a Go: Heritage Walk – Upton Country Park
Nordic Walking
Duncliffe Wood, Stour Provost
- Saturday, 14th January (09:30 - 11:00) Give Nature a Go: Nordic Walking
- Wednesday, 8th February (11:30 - 13:00) Give Nature a Go: Nordic Walking
- Wednesday, 8th March (11:30 - 13:00) Give Nature a Go: Nordic Walking
- Saturday, 15th April (09:30 - 11:00) Give Nature a Go: Nordic Walking
North Dorset Tennis Club, Gillingham
- Wednesday, 3rd May (11:30 - 13:00) Give Nature a Go: Nordic Walking
Wonders of the Night Sky
- Friday, 20 January 2023 (19:00 - 21:00) - Give Nature a Go: Wonders of the Night Sky
Where possible, parking and entry fees will be included as part of the activity. However, if an event is held within an urban area and public car parks are needed, staff will need to cover the costs. This will be set out in the individual activity details. Where possible, we encourage people to use public transport or car share, but we appreciate that this may not always be possible.
Activities will need a minimum number to go ahead to ensure value for money, and events will be cancelled in extreme weather. Anyone who is booked to attend will be notified as soon as possible. Activities have been scheduled on different dates and at different locations across the county to enable staff and teams to choose the ones they find most beneficial and feasible to attend based on their schedule.
We will be asking all attendees to complete a feedback form, and there will be some follow-ups in the months to come to help evaluate the programme.
So why not give nature a go?!
If you have any general queries, please contact hand@dorsetlnp.org.uk.
