 Our Wild Wood workshops and courses take place in the beautiful old woodlands of the Solway coast, a unique and atmospheric setting .
Here, in the company of friendly, like-minded folk, you can shed the cares of the everyday world and gently begin to gather insights into the natural world and your own place in it, that will deepen your connection with it and increase your sense of inner wellbeing. In the secure circle of the hearth, cooking, tea brewing and discussions take place, a tradition that goes back into the mists of time.  Wild Wood Woodland Volunteers
We are able to offer a limited number opportunities to join us as we get our woodland set up for holding ecotherapy workshops and courses. Clearing brash, making pathways, creating logpiles, building composting toilets, a bush shower and a hot tub...these are some of the projects that will be happening at weekends over the next few months. In exchange for your labour you will get a place to pitch your tent, meals provided and a lot of backchat and bonhomie! Because these are informal weekends you will be responsible for your own health and safety and will need to agree to work within the common sense guidelines laid down by the project managers.
 ©Hilary Parke 2010 Research into Ecotherapy Ambra Burls, a senior lecturer and researcher in Mental Health at Anglia Ruskin University's Institute of Health and Social Care (IHSC), wrote in the British Medical Journal on the subject of ecotherapy. The editorial entitled 'Improving human health through nature conservation' explains how active contact with nature known, in this context, as ecotherapy can be beneficial in restoring human health. Therapies can involve working with wildlife, on conservation projects or simply in a garden environment, according to the report. So it's just a walk in the park? Sometimes that might be all you need to feel uplifted but the average person who is finding life difficult for one reason or another is likely to need a more sturctured approach. An experienced Ecotherapist will have a way of working, based on both training and experience, that matches a repertoire of outdoor activities and approaches to the specific needs of the individual or group. You don't have to be depressed to benefit from Ecotherapy sessions. It can often be the next step you take in your life in order to move forwards, to regain your creativity or to discover what you are really capable of. Ecotherapy covers a wide range of physical activities. These can range from walking in nature, gardening, learning bushcraft or experiencing the outdoor world in a completely new way. Such activities lift mood, develop motivation, raise self esteem and, perhaps most important of all, are great fun. Another important benefit is positive social contact with others, through tackling projects or taking on journeys together. The support and friendships grown by participants on my courses often last a lifetime and lead to enormous personal gains. Providing inexpensive ways in which you can follow up on the initial sessions is also part of the methodology. Where possible introductions are made to local community groups that offer ongoing outdoor involvement and in time an active forum for mutual support will be promoted. |
Wildwood Workshops: Come on your own, with friends or as a family group.
A calendar of workshop dates is available on request, or you can make up your own group and book the dates that suit you best. Send an enquiry...  Wildwood Workshops 2012:
 Costs:
All Courses and Workshops are all-inclusive: Sleeping accommodation is in a single or shared tent (you choose); all food, plus tea, coffee and snacks; day trips if applicable. Meeting points are Lockerbie Railway Station, Dumfries Railway Station or Dalbeattie Car Park. Car sharing can be organised: please let us know if you can offer, or need, a lift. Weekend workshops: (Friday evening to Sunday after lunch) £60 per person. Mid-Week Workshops: (Tuesday evening to Thursday after lunch) £60 per person Week-long Wildwood Quest Courses (Saturday 4pm to Friday 1pm): £450 including food and accommodation, Wild Wood Journeys and Earthquests. to the Hebrides and Northern Scotland: Prices on application. These journeys are planned with the client/s, to match their exact requirements. Please make contact and we can discuss your requirements and the exciting options available. Participants are asked to bring their own warm sleeping bag and sleeping mat and to discuss with us early on any special dietary or other requirements. You may bring your own tent or we can supply one...solo or shared. Health and safety is taken very seriously by Ecotherapy Scotland and every effort will be made to ensure the safety of everyone at all times. However, in keeping with the spirit of self-development and personal evolution that lies at the core of what we do, all participants must agree to act responsibly whilst on workshops and courses and to take responsibility for their own safety and wellbeing. They will be asked to sign an agreement of self-responsibility to that effect. One of the most vital substances that we need in the wild is pure water....so if you spend time camping in
the outdoors, you might want to take a look at Totallydrinkable.com, which has the best bush purification system we've found so far.
 ©Hilary Parke 2010   ©Hilary Parke 2011 |
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