Nature Buddies in Camborne lifts people’s spirits, and enhances wellbeing

Nature Connects CIC hold various sessions that allow people to connect with nature, improving their wellbeing. Their community, Nature Buddies, is a place to support social and nature connections.

To tackle isolation, lift people’s spirits and enhance their overall wellbeing, Nature Buddies brings people together in an adult forest school. 

Grant awarded & impact

September 2023, Nature Connects were awarded £5,000 from The CrossCountry Rail Community FundA sum of money made available for grant making, often with specific criteria/conditions.. This grant meant they could take 18 people to a year’s worth of Nature Buddies sessions in Camborne.

100% of attendees came to support their emotional wellbeing, and 91% of attendees left feeling happy. Meanwhile, 66% of people felt less lonely and less stressed.

Nature Buddies is a space to deepen personal, social and ecological connections. In this space, participants are supported to develop self-care practices for day-to-day life.

Living with chronic illness, one nature buddies participant talked about how it can be difficult to find the time and energy to get into nature regularly. But the time in the group lifts their spirits, inspiring and motivating them.

They have found a community within the group and found that they always left feeling better and more connected to nature, other people, and themselves.

About the fund

The CrossCountry Rail Community Fund supports community groups, charities and social enterprises across Cornwall, with priority given to projectsA piece of work that delivers an output. based in towns where CrossCountry stations are located. CrossCountry Rail wanted to support communities, many of which are experiencing high levels of in-work poverty, social deprivation and mental health and well-being concerns.

Funding location: The CrossCountry Rail Fund aims to support community groups, charities and social enterprises across Cornwall, with priority given to projects based in towns where CrossCountry stations are located.

For more information about Nature Connects CIC’ s work see: https://www.natureconnects.org/

If you are a community group looking for funding, please view our available grants: Applying for a grant – Cornwall Community Foundation

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