Blog - Urban Forest Collective

Connecting Through Nature: Walking Together with Urban Forest Collective

At Urban Forest Collective we’ve seen firsthand the incredible impact that walking in nature can have on people’s lives. This year, thanks to support from the TFL (Transport For London), we were able to offer participants with autism as well as refugees and asylum seekers, our unique connections in nature experiences.

As part of our charity partnerships programme we teamed up with Resources For Autism and New Art Studios. This relationship started just after lockdown and we offered a series of outdoor activities to groups including walks across London, nature crafts, bushcraft, art, nature awareness and outdoor cooking to name some.

Walking Towards Friendship and Wellbeing

In 2024, we ran 26 walks for participants with autism who were not in employment or education. It was much more than a walk or a chance to get outside; to some it became a lifeline; a space to form new friendships, build independence, and find a deep sense of peace in nature.

As one participant, Jo, shared, “Walking with the group each Friday helps me manage my anxiety. There is something about coming out to be amongst the trees that makes me feel calm. It’s a vibe. I love it. I hope we can do more, much more, next year.”

Our practice, which takes elements of forest school, art therapy and forest bathing, enabled participants to also practice independent travel planning. In our time together we visited over 30 green spaces in London. It helped reduce participants’ general and social anxiety; as our collective’s Art Therapist, Leidy Moreno said “ in a safe and organic way, sharing experiences and interacting with others.”

“The experience has been transformative for my son”, said one participant’s mum, “supporting him in independent travel, making connections and meeting people each week has been fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. Thank you, Linda and the team.”

One of our walkers earned recognition from the John Petchey Award for how he showed up and his contribution to our regular walks that enabled us all to visit Kew Gardens together for free.

Art, Nature, and Community

In collaboration with New Art Studios, we also supported refugees and asylum seekers outdoors, something that was not possible during lockdown.

Studio-based artists connected with nature through art and music supported by two art therapists and a UFC forest school leader. Our sessions fostered a sense of community and allowed participants to express themselves in new and exciting ways.

In addition to offering integrated art into our walks, we also visited London’s canals, teaming up with Global Generation to join their Floating Garden barge in Kings Cross for a memorable movement and dance therapy session.

Looking Ahead

The success of our walking programme has shown just how much can be achieved through the simple act of walking together.

It’s no surprise that the programme has been celebrated, with Michael Charsley, Adult Services Coordinator at Resources For Autism, sharing, “The Friday Nature Walks are one of the most unique service offerings from Resources For Autism. No other activity offers such an emphasis on well-being. It’s fantastic.”

We’re excited about the future and hope to continue these walks, expanding our partnerships and finding new ways to support participants in improving their wellbeing and independence.

Get Involved!

Are you part of a community group or charity looking to support your members through walking and nature-based activities?

If so, please get in touch with us for more information by emailing info@urbanforestcollective.org.

Intergenerational Forest School –Building Bridges Between Generations

At Urban Forest Collective CIC, we believe in the power of nature to connect people across generations of all ages. Our Intergenerational Forest School is a wonderful example of how outdoor learning can bridge the gap between the young, and the young at heart.

Silver Birches, is a weekly over-55s programme at Barnwood N2, that brings participants together for nature-based crafts and bushcraft activities that foster connection with nature and each other. Before inviting children for the special intergenerational series, we held dedicated Silver Birches sessions to support the forest school ethos and learning.

Building Intergenerational Relationships in Nature

In August of 2024, children aged 4-12, and adults from Silver Birches, gathered at Barnwood for an intergenerational programme aimed at building bonds and deepening an intuitive sense of well-being.

This first time experience fostered connection, communication and creativity through activities such as knot-tying, foraging, insect hotel building and weaving.

Every session ran nurtured a spirit of teamwork and mutual respect. The children’s joy on the swing encouraged the adults to join in, many for the first time in decades, and their excitement was palpable!

Promoting Wellbeing and Environmental Education

The programme was designed to inspire play and imagination, promote well being and strengthen environmental education through hands-on activities like crafting with natural materials, like making clay puppets, to make learning engaging and meaningful at the same time.

Spending time outdoors in nature and working together boosted participants’ mental and physical wellbeing. Sharing stories, creating together, and enjoying the natural surroundings helped strengthen their bond of community and belonging.

A Positive, Lasting Impact

Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing a desire for more intergenerational activities. We are proud that this project not only achieved its goals but also helped strengthen the sense of community between the children and adults.

One participant reflected, “For two hours or so, it brings me peace and a sense that everything is okay. I enjoyed every moment.” Another added, “I loved being outdoors, seeing the children happy and enjoying themselves. I loved sharing with the children.”

Expanding Our Forest School Programmes

Given the success of this pilot, Urban Forest Collective is keen to expand the Intergenerational Forest School into a regular programme that offers ongoing opportunities for community members to participate.

The project has laid a strong foundation for future initiatives and has made a meaningful contribution to the community’s social fabric and environmental awareness. We are grateful for the support of our funders; Grange Big Local, whose contributions made this project possible.

With additional funding, we hope to continue supporting intergenerational relationships and environmental education in the local community.

How to Get Involved

Are you part of a community group or charity seeking support for an outdoor project, especially for members with special needs?If so, please get in touch with us for more information by emailing info@urbanforestcollective.org.

We’d love to collaborate with you on bringing more nature-based experiences to your community!

Spotlight on our over-55s programme

For the last 11 weeks we have been busy running our much loved over-55s programme, ‘Silver Birches’, at the beautiful community garden Barnwood N2 (watch this video, courtesy of Leo Smith, to find out about its journey from wasteland to wilderness!) Over the weeks we have watched our very-early-spring, bloom and blossom and fruit, and summer has brought us a multitude of red currants, hanging in juicy bunches all around the garden. It has been a joy to see some familiar smiling faces returning to these weekly sessions.

Urban Forest Collective teamed up with Barnwood N2 and Leo Smith to design and run 12 weeks of nature-based arts, crafts and bushcraft activities that have included such wonderful things as fire lighting, willow weaving, outdoor cooking, spoon whittling, sawing and bird box making, raw forest cacao, foraging, painting and drawing, charcoal making, moth watching, Qi Gong, wood splitting, planting, balm making and kokedama – moss hanging baskets – all to the soundtrack of laughter and birdsong!

Nestled among the trees, and surrounded by wildlife, we have spent mornings and afternoons in good company, providing some much needed ‘me time’ for those who didn’t stop, even during lockdown; and some much needed connection with others and with the natural world, for those who have spent lockdown alone.

We hope in our work with over 55s that we can support people to feel more connected to themselves, to others, and to nature. We hope that regular weekly sessions help to reduce loneliness and isolation and build confidence and comfort in the outdoors. We have witnessed participants who have never made a fire, light one from a spark; we have seen participants who have never done woodwork, whittle a spoon. We have been part of fascinating conversations around an unusual moth sighting, shared our knowledge about plants and experienced the magic of discovering and learning in nature with others.

“Silver Birches has changed my outlook on life, made me reaffirm my values, and connect me with my neighbours. Thank you all so very much for making this possible.” – Celia

We have heard the sessions described as me-time, life changing, uplifting, and the thing I look forward to.

We know how important it is to spend time outdoors, and we know how important it is to spend time with others, and we hope our work with over-55s does just that.

Participants from Silver Birches are committed to continue meeting at Barnwood, once the program is over, to share skills of their own, make food, and help out with planting. We couldn’t be happier about this, it’s a celebration of the legacy we wanted to leave behind – building community. It also frees us to expand and take this popular programme on the road and to another lovely location – watch this space!

A Spring Reflection

Looking back and springing forward

It has been a wild rush of activities since Urban Forest Collective was formed in June of last year – so we thought it was about time to pause and reflect on all that we have achieved so far.

One of our very first projects as an organisation was a partnership with the amazing New Art Studio. The studio’s artists are asylum seekers and refugees, this group were facing very tough challenges of isolation through Covid-19 lockdowns. For a year previously, they’d been unable to meet in person at their art therapy studio, to enjoy the valuable energy of mutual support. UFC were able to offer to host this inspiring group of artists, delivering eight weeks of creative outdoor workshops at the Meadow Orchard. This enabled access to a beautiful natural environment for healing and therapeutic creative activities. Together we wove willow, block printed onto clothing, created flower garlands, made and painted bird boxes, and sketched the surrounding wildlife. “I will never forget these outdoor workshops. It was a very special place during lockdown”- participant.

Another valuable partnership that we have built over the last 7 months has been with Edible Landscapes London, who run a bountiful community forest garden in the heart of Finsbury Park. We have had the pleasure of running family workshops here, using practical activities to connect children and parents in creative and skillful play. Participants made cob bird boxes, getting messy with clay, willow and wood, whilst learning about bird habitats, natural materials and sustainability. It then got even messier, creating their very own wild foraged chocolate!

Having access to the natural world is vital to our wellbeing and health, and one of the most accessible forms exists within our urban parks. So we were absolutely delighted to be invited to take part in Finsbury Park’s ‘People Need Parks’ programming, funded by Haringey Council. We ran weekly public events to give a taste of ‘forest school for adults’ to North Londoners, many of whom had never even heard the term forest school before. We supported participants to create forest cacao; we went on mindful nature walks; we constructed planters out of recycled pallets; we created art from fallen leaves and natural dye; and we wove pollinator sculptures to celebrate our arthropod friends. People often don’t realise just how much is happening in their local green spaces, so we wanted to give just a glimpse of the plethora of ways they could get in touch with their environment!

Recently we have had the joy of discovering a couple of new green spaces ourselves, through our newly formed relationships with Lordship Recreation Ground and Barnwood N2. We took part in Art at the Rec in August 2021, running a couple of whittling and weaving taster sessions and, following this, we hosted a clear-up of the children’s area of Harmony Gardens at Lordship Rec. The community spirit was inspiring to see, as people volunteered their time to help renew and revitalise the overgrown space into a child-friendly play area and communal refuge. We look forward to returning to the Rec in the coming months with more community workshops – keep an eye on this blog to hear more! We will also be coming to Barnwood N2 for the first ever time in spring 2022 with a series of Silver Birch workshops for over 55s: head on over to the event page for more information and to sign up for a free place on the course.

We are proud of how much we have grown already and how much fun we have had in the process. Now we are looking forward to our new projects in 2022 and beyond, and we hope to welcome you to one of our upcoming workshops to connect with yourself, with others and with nature.