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Nature | Wellbeing | Belonging

Approach & Impact

Our approach

Grow Wellbeing runs practical outdoor programmes that help people reconnect with nature, community and their own agency. We work across Wirral, the Liverpool City Region and Cheshire, delivering in woods, parks, gardens and community spaces — often alongside schools, health and community organisations.

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Our work is rooted in respect for self, nature and others. That means we value each person for who they are and what they bring, and we create sessions that are safe, welcoming and well-run.

How we work

Across every programme, the same elements drive our impact:

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  • Nature connection — time outdoors in real local places

  • Hands-on activity — practical tasks like growing, making, building, cooking and woodland skills

  • Relational practice — skilled facilitation, emotional safety, acceptance of difference

  • Belonging and community — small groups, shared tasks, supportive micro-communities

  • Place-based delivery — working with and caring for local green spaces with partners and communities

"A very peaceful two hours connecting to nature We left our phones at home and instead concentrated on what our five sense could tell us." - Participant (woodland wellbeing session)

What this leads to

Nature connection plus practical activity can be powerful. People often leave a session feeling:

  • more settled (calmer, less on edge)

  • more able to join in and have a go

  • proud of what they’ve made or achieved

  • more connected — to nature, to others, and to place

“The sessions are very rewarding and give me a real sense of achievement… being amongst nature… really helps my mental health.” — Participant

For everyone, this supports wellbeing and belonging. For people who are having a tough time, these same ingredients can be particularly impactful over repeated sessions — building self-worth, confidence and agency, and helping people re-engage with learning, work or community life.

“Attending the woodland group has been great… staff and children are nice, caring and understanding… they make sure everyone feels part of the group.” — Young person

Our delivery at a glance

We keep recording simple: we log what we deliver (sessions and hours) and how many times people take part (attendance), so we can report clearly and consistently to partners and funders.

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Last year's delivery includes: 280 sessions delivered, 3,877 attendances, and 16,511 hours outdoors.
(Attendance counts “times someone takes part”, not unique individuals — because many people join us for multiple sessions.)

Looking ahead (2025-26)

Our priorities are to:

  • widen access to nature-based wellbeing for people facing barriers

  • strengthen consistent impact reporting across programmes (without adding burden)

  • grow the local workforce through training and placements

  • deepen partnerships with schools, community and health organisations

What families tell us

Parents and carers tell us the outdoor offer matters — especially when money, childcare pressure or confidence are tight.

“As a low income family it opened up activities for my children to do during the holidays.” — Parent/Carer (HAF, Summer 2025)

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“Relaxed, fun, creative and active. Different to school, less formal… and the team leading the sessions were lovely.” — Parent/Carer (HAF, Summer 2025)

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“They woke up every day… excited… we now regularly go for walks to find sticks and stones… their confidence… is phenomenal.” — Parent/Carer (HAF, Summer 2025)

What partners notice

Where we work alongside schools and services, partners often highlight engagement, relationships and how the outdoor space changes the feel of the week.

“It really takes the pressure off what is often the most difficult time of the week… involvement has definitely improved attendance for some of the learners.” — School staff

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“Using the Kelly kettles, making fire and sharing food… they have to cooperate… it is good that they have the experience of doing these things for themselves.” — School staff

 

Evidence and learning

We evidence our work through a mix of:

  • delivery records (what we delivered and who it reached)

  • participant and partner voice (feedback on what people noticed changing)

  • outcome measures where appropriate (agreed with funders/commissioners and proportionate to the programme)

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We’re strengthening this by using clearer shared outcomes across programmes and making feedback collection more consistent — so we can show change clearly without turning sessions into paperwork.

Case studies and before/after examples (being added)

We’re preparing a small set of short case studies and before/after examples so the difference Grow Wellbeing makes is visible at a glance. This will include:

  • short case studies (need → what we did → what changed, with participant or partner voice), and

  • before/after examples, including place-based work and participant journeys where consent allows.

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We’ll publish these here as they’re completed and signed off (including consent and safeguarding checks).

How people shape what we do

We use participant and partner feedback to improve sessions and design new programmes. We’re also exploring more formal ways for participants to help shape delivery over time.

Work with us

If you’re exploring funding, commissioning, evaluation partnership or a referral pathway, we’d welcome a conversation. Please use our Contact page and mark your message “Funder/Partner enquiry” so it reaches the right person quickly.

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