I can actually say ‘I’ve done something today’ which I don’t feel very often. It felt constructive

I felt alive today, the focus was on what I can do and what I want to do which is important to me. 

The reason why I come to the Centre for Ecotherapy is that I enjoy gardening. Unfortunately I don’t have my own garden, so coming here fills that little space for me.  The work is very varied, from breaking down pallets, cutting them to the right size and joining them together to put them around this dug area, caring for, and harvesting, fruit and veg and weeding. Sometimes I mow the top plot which is quite a job to do, I get quite knackered, but what I do get out of this is actually being outside with greenery, meeting new people. It’s a lovely group of people and it’s just a pleasure. … I was in my old flat with a mental breakdown and no contact at all with the outside world and just in a very scary place. … It’s good to get up out of bed and come here, getting involved and good well-being.  I feel contented and happy with myself most of the time which is good.

As well as growing fruits and vegetables, I think coming to the Centre has grown me into a person who is much more confident and peaceful. It’s given me a whole group of lovely friends and I really look forward to Fridays even if it is cold and raining – it doesn’t matter about the weather! Every week when I go I don’t always feel like doing great big gardening tasks or anything like that and it doesn’t matter you can do as little or as much as you want. You can stay for four hours or just an hour or two. If you can’t do one or two weeks that doesn’t matter, it’s free for everybody to just pop in you don’t need any skill level although having said that I have learned a lot of new things and am very grateful for that!  We share things together which is great. … When I went to the garden for the first time, I wasn’t really doing anything; I wasn’t really able to do anything. I’ve since found out about some other volunteering opportunities and I was able to feel that I would give something else a try.  One thing led to another and I’ve been doing other volunteering work and I feel more confident and able to take on other things. I’ve been encouraged to do that by the group.  It’s opened my mind and made me able to see what I can do rather than being, I don’t know, at home not doing anything.

I’ve found (coming to the Monday group) really peaceful. It’s really cleared my head. I haven’t had a really good month and it’s really made me think that there are really nice people around and nice groups to go to. Being out here it’s so relaxing. This morning I was really anxious about coming and now I feel calm. I feel like the rest of my week can be nice now because I’ve done something good to start it off.

I wanted to come for the experience but it’s totally different to what I imagined. It’s so big and there’s so much outside space and to be totally honest I could stay up here until tomorrow and have a sleep. I really don’t want to go home as it’s just so peaceful. There is no traffic, no noise, and no pollution.

During my weeks (working on the wilderness site) I developed numerous skills both personal and physical, including digging out tree roots, developing confidence and building self worth, cutting back and clearing bramble bushes, realising personal potential, making kindling with an axe out of logs down to the knots and building fires. I valued this time spent in the outdoors with Jess and the team and will be sure to think of it in years to come. Many thanks for the support. (MVW went on to be offered an interview, after 6 months unemployment, and got the job!)

Since going to Ecotherapy my mood has lifted, my anxiety has reduced, and I no longer experience long periods of feeling suicidal. It is definitely the favourite part of my week and I am not sure what I would do without it.

I was under a lot of pressure, coz I was having a lot of interaction with substances … and it was quite critical to break free from that… it was nice to come out here… be free, doing simple tasks… away from that situation.

I’ve found taking part in this programme much, much, better than any of the counselling I have received. Usual quote is ‘How are you today?’ ‘What can we help you with?’ ‘Why do you feel like you do?’ which I find really grinds me… If I could tell someone why I feel like I do I think I’d be worth a lot of money. … I think coming here is beneficial for me at the moment for the way I feel. I feel happy here, I feel relaxed here, it’s a lovely atmosphere … people listen and its nice being with people in the same situation as yourself and you don’t feel so alone.

I’ve found it really, really, good, it’s really helped me to feel positive …. Being out in nature is just so healing. (Being in nature) just calms my brain so much, I really feel the difference, as soon as I’m near trees I just feel calmer, especially actually working in the ground it is really good.

It’s cold and you stink of smoke and there’s mud and everything … but you get here and there’s trees around you, you got the sky above your head, there’s not loads of traffic everywhere and busyness …there’s space to breathe, like when you go to groups, you walk in and it’s a room, and you can feel the walls and everything around you, whereas here its more open and there’s things to do and I like the connection with nature, as cold as it is at the moment! It’s kept me going through the darkest parts of the year … and at times it has left me with a reason to live.

A sense of freedom, sense of earth, plants or the fire. Meeting different people from different walks of life. Planting with somebody, weeding or… You’re not treated as a psychiatric patient.

I don’t feel any pressure. I feel like the people around me are just being supportive and you do as much or as little as you can.

Young people are welcomed on site into a judgement free environment, where their hard work is appreciated and valued. The young people are encouraged to think further outside the task, to offer their own opinions and directions and to take ownership of a specific project. Ecotherapy works particularly well at engaging young people who are failing to attend school, or who display extremely challenging behaviour in the class room. The young people learn and stay focused doing the practical work and keep calm and relaxed in the open, outdoors environment.

My son really liked the calm atmosphere of being in the woods and learning outside the classroom, taking pressure and stress away from him, therefore enabling him to learn more. He liked the course sessions because it showed him how to do things differently with things around him, so I believe this helped him to ‘think outside the box ‘ and could be used in different situations and would give him confidence to try other new things and believe in himself.

I’ve learnt how to cook simple menus including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Being at Ecotherapy puts me in my safe zone. It lets me be open minded and try new things. It’s a place where I can speak my mind, and listen to others and talk about my problems in a safe place. This doesn’t feel like college although I’m learning new things. Jess is always welcoming and pleased to see us. It’s good if you’ve been through lots of trouble and want to talk about it, and it has helped me get closure on some of my problems. Now I come to Eco Therapy, it feels like nothing can get in my way.