DD Charity Update - November 2022

As the year draws to a close it's the time for early morning frosts and long, chilly evenings curled up in your sleeping bag and hammock - but even though winter may be settling in, there's no reason not to enjoy the benefits of nature!

For the month of November we've teamed up with Bushkraft Forest School CIC and The Wellness Cafe; two UK based organisations dedicated to helping those in the community improve their mental health, wellbeing and bushcrafting skills through the power of nature and good company.

 BushKraft Forest School CIC (Community Interest Company) is a UK based non-profit organisation working with people of all ages and abilities. They also work with and in partnership with other organisations including schools, social care and charities.

A CIC is usually formed from people with a passion to want to try and alleviate problems that have identified in there local area or area of expertise - BushKraft is no different and wants to tackle social issues, build confidence in everyone and improve people's opportunities and situations.  One of their key aims is keeping families together and promoting well being, positive communication, positivity and bonding as a unit rather than individuals. Everyone is welcome, particularly young children and families.

Bushkraft provide a multitude of outdoors activities and workshops for those of all ages, including;

Mini Forest Explorers (a parent and child session forest school environment where children guide their own outdoor leaning experience), Home Education Sessions (for children who do not attend school for any reason), Baby Explorers (for parents of children under 18 months to meet and socialise in a relaxing outdoors environment with their children), Birthday Parties (featuring survival lessons, bushcrafting, even rifle shooting!) and Archery Sessions for those aged 8+ with the desire to learn a fun new skill.

Bushkraft also work with schools, social care organisations, charities etc to provide forest school sessions for those in need of the healing benefits of nature.

Bushkraft explain their ethos and ideas on their website, explaining that;

"Our mission is to get children outside into nature enjoying themselves, playing with other children. Over the years technology is so advanced, (games consoles get "virtual" reality and mobile phones are really mini computers.) and children are spending less time outdoors, especially in the winter months. 

Although we are not against technology we strongly believe in a child's right to play, explore, take risks, and be part of the natural world around them. Forest school is based more on the process of learning than it is on the content. This means instead of planning each session to the nearest minute, children can go off as things take their interest. More often than not as Forest leaders our planned sessions end up completely unplanned as the children explore nature.

We have a high practitioner/leader ratio which means we can build a professional relationship in a therapeutic calming environment. We promote self worth and mutual respect. Everything we do can be adapted for all age groups and abilities. The woodland gives a totally different way of learning with out even knowing they are learning for both children and adults. They try new things with the support they need. We can work with them independently or as a small groups and with their carers."

We hope that Bushkraft Forest School CIC and their patrons enjoy our donation of hammocks and tarps, and that they continue to explore the great outdoors for many more years to come!

If you would like to find out more about Bushkraft Forest School CIC, their services and how to access their services, you can find out more on their website and Facebook page.

 The Wellbeing Cafe is a hub of community caring and catering, offering and hosting a multitude of services to the local residents of Okehampton and Hatherleigh, UK.

The mental wellbeing branch of Made-Well CIC, The Wellbeing Cafe provides a place for people to gather and access services such as anxiety management courses, health screenings, charity fundraising events, social gatherings and more recently, excursions into the wilds of Dartmoor for their weekly Moor Walks and Talks. Not to mention a great place for a hot meal and a heart to heart!

Made-Well CIC and The Wellbeing Cafe share the goals of reaching out into the community to those of all ages, abilities, incomes and backgrounds, with the aim of strengthening the local services and assisting people to learn and grow, reduce isolation and loneliness, connect people with their community, improving physical and mental health, as well as various other social and life skills.

We are happy to have donated a number of tarps and hammocks for the use of The Wellbeing Cafe in their moor walk programs, and we wish Emma and the team all the best in exploring the outdoors!

To find out more about The Wellbeing Cafe, visit their Facebook page for information on how to access all that's on offer!

 As we prepare tp take the leap into 2023 and beyond, we want to continue pledging our support to as many charities and organisations as we can!

If you know of a charity, group or cause with a focus on the outdoors and a passion for helping those less fortunate get out into nature that would benefit from some free outdoor equipment plus a spot on the DD Charity Blog to showcase their work, we would love to hear from you!

Help us support even more people, and get involved by getting in touch with us via our DD Charity contact form.