Green Therapy Seminar and Walk 19 May 23
On the 19 May 23 Positive Steps Outdoors held our first ‘Green Therapy’ day at the Ormeau Baths Belfast, Northern Ireland. The event has generated a healthy level of interest in exploring green therapy and how Positive Steps Outdoors can support organisations. This ranges from local health trusts seeking to help people get into walking to combat isolation, charities / community groups helping the disadvantaged, carers, or those with mental health needs to local businesses wanting to support staff while increasing their attractiveness to the labour market and corporates looking to do likewise while also innovating their social value proposition.
The seminar has enabled us to grow our pool of great outdoor event leaders and make and foster new partnerships, some of which we never anticipated. As a result, we have developed the central service supporting positive mental and physical health along with wider ‘wrap around’ options, including:
• Mindfulness, T’a Chi and Chi Kung to enhance connectedness.
• Environmental, flora, fauna, and climate (sustainability goals) awareness.
• Giving back through supporting our partnership with outdoor charities or other social enterprises.
• Learning about geology, history, culture, leave no trace or navigation.
• Coaching and strategizing on the move to strengthen individuals and teams and solve problems.
• Building team cohesion, leadership and culture cover and our team coaching capability as well as what we provide by way of planning, event leadership and safety and loan equipment.
Also, our relationship with the Alpkit Foundation, who support us through their fantastic Continuum Programme, has enabled us to build a great loan store of equipment, from footwear to bobble hats, with trousers, fleeces and waterproof jackets in between.
The morning seminar saw close to 100 leaders and representatives from community groups, charities, the public sector (including health), local businesses, leading sports bodies and multi-national corporates attend to learn about the mental and physical health challenges faced by individuals, organisations and society and the role of natural therapy in supporting positive mental and physical health.
The audience was welcomed by Positive Steps Outdoors’ patron two time world champion boxer Carl Frampton, who posed for a lot of photos and took part in a Q&A. Carl was asked about his BBC documentary “Men in Crisis” which sets out the current epidemic of mental ill health in Northern Ireland. If you have not seen it, you should watch it.
Carl was followed by speakers from Aware NI, talking about mental health, Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, covering physical health, British Mountain Medicine Society covering the efficacy of green therapy and The Wellbeing Pathway, with some real life case studies of how green therapy has helped people. Our director Alan then highlighted how we can support organisations to promote positive physical and mental fitness in cooperation with Mourne Heritage Trust and Belfast Hills Partnership.
After grabbing the packed lunches delegates headed out for an enjoyable hike on Divis and Black Mountain care of the National Trust and supported by Mountain Leaders from the Mountain Training Association.