The natural health service

Healthwatch Bristol have funded the Off The Record (OTR) charity which offers a range of services for young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing. OTR has piloted nature based activities with young people that use different delivery styles and formats. This report details the impact of three micro projects.

The Woodland Warmer project involves mindfulness, walking, bush craft and spending time with animals on the farm. The aim of this project was to support young people to transition out of winter and into spring as this is the time of year with the highest suicide rates. Healthwatch found that delivering this service in partnership with existing organisations led to expertise being shared and that specialist mental health workers with the connection to OTR ensured that further needs were responded to effectively.

The New Roots Drop in Allotment was run by wellbeing practitioners offering a relaxed setting to complete practical tasks. Activities included building a pizza oven, planting vegetables, and building raised beds. Attendees were those who had been seen by the workers at the OTR hub and had not seen posters or been recommended by others. This demonstrates that relationships are key to building up this service.

The Bristol Walks group provided an opportunity for young people to go outdoors and explore the city. There was a relatively low attendance rate, possibly due to the unstructured nature of the group which could be daunting for some.

Each micro-project showed positive outcomes for the individuals who accessed them, and received very positive feedback from the young people. The main challenge for the projects was engaging numbers of young people which we believe was difficult for a range of reasons. In Spring 2019, the OTR will be offering a weekly allotment drop in, 1:1 therapeutic sessions, sign up therapeutic groups, A Community Kitchen and regular seasonal groups in collaboration with specialist organisations.