Region: England-wide

Wellbeing Comes Naturally

Run by: TCV (formerly BTCV)
Area: Across England
Ecominds Award amount: £250,000

Wellbeing Comes Naturally provides environmental activities for people with mental health problems.

TCV help to connect people with their natural world, so they can get involved in more meaningful volunteering activities, develop their skills and take on more responsibility. 

In 28 locations across England, TCV and partner community groups are encouraging people with mental health problems to get involved and become a part of their local environmental group.

The groups are diverse and offer a wide range of activities: food growing as part of a thriving allotment group, preserving precious habitats through biodiversity action teams, heritage preservation through ‘Friends of’ groups, and many others.

Over the two years, we want 450 people to join thriving TCV and community groups to take on roles of responsibility and get involved in the group's organisation or management.

In this way, the participants re-connect with nature, become more confident and happy as they build their skills and social network, and then become an integral part of the group – helping to lead and organise where they are interested.

I really look forward to coming to the allotment. I feel more confident talking to people. I feel more healthy. Blaise

Am much more outgoing. Enjoy the work and look forward to Thursday mornings when i’m at the allotment. June

I feel more confident now and would now like to try and continue doing conservation work maybe somewhere else.  I am thinking of doing some volunteering somewhere else in the country and maybe next year I would like to volunteer abroad.  I still have a lot of changes to make before I am happy but it feels achievable now. Service user

Interested in joining?

Read more about Green Gym at TCV website and use the map below to find your nearest project: