“Access and connection to nature is crucial for our mental health and millions of people have rediscovered this in lockdown.” – The Mental Health Foundation
March 2021 marked one year since the first UK lockdown in response to the Covid pandemic. The past year has challenged us all in unexpected ways. It has also pushed us to dig deep and focus on ways to care for ourselves and each other.
This is one reason why we’ve strongly focused on nature and wellbeing in recent months, through a series of events in partnership with Eden Project Communities.
Here, we share a copy of our March newsletter where you can find out more about our #NatureandWellbeingNOW series, plus further wellbeing events and resources.
You can also sign up to our newsletter list and get our monthly wellbeing edit straight to your inbox!
NOW Wellbeing News + Events
Looking forward, we are excited to continue to work in partnership with the Resurgence Trust on a series of events focused around Hope in Action. Our next event, on Tuesday 27th April 7.30-9pm GMT, features Charles Eisenstein, Amisha Ghadiali and Jen Gale. You can follow updates via the Facebook event and via Twitter using #HopeInActionEvents.
We have been running events with Eden Project Communities to explore how small steps to connect with nature can make a big difference – for our own wellbeing, the wellbeing of our communities and the wider world around us.
This series is now drawing to a close, so we’d love to share all of the event recordings with you in case you weren’t able to join us live. To stay in touch and connect with others involved in this series, please check out #NatureAndWellbeingNOW and the related list of contacts on Twitter.
We are co-hosting our next listening space with The Heart Movement on Monday 19th April at 7.30pm BST. This event offers space to share and listen to each other exploring the topic of our relationship to play, playfulness, and spontaneity and how this supports wellbeing. Register your free place >>
Plus, we are also grateful that it is possible for both our mobile Share Shed project and our Eden Rise retreat venue to re-open soon!
Further News, Events + Resources
Here at NOW, we believe in building #WellbeingTogether, and so we love to highlight news, events and resources from across the wider wellbeing movement. There is so much going on right now!
- Wellbeing Economy gains attention: The wellbeing economy continues to grow in prevalence. There is currently a petition calling the UK government to shift to a wellbeing economy, and on 1st April there is an event via CUSP exploring this important topic too.
- Amazing range of talks via The Resurgence Trust: In addition to working together with NOW on Hope in Action events (above), Resurgence are also running an event series on Living Simply with inspiring speakers Julia Hobsbaum, Satish Kumar and Rob Greenfield, plus a talk on Dying from Consumption with George Monbiot on 17th May. Find out more >>
- Mental Health Awareness Week: Running from 10th – 16th May and coordinated by the Mental Health Foundation, this year’s theme will be nature. Find out more >>
- Re-Imagining Activism: Run by Advaya Initiative on 1st June as part of their series A Journey Home, and featuring speakers Alastair McIntosh, Bronte Velez and Adrian Kawaley-Lathan. Find out more >>
- Carnegie Trust Wellbeing-Related Reports: Throughout March, Carnegie have published a range of useful reports, including What Next For Fair Work in Scotland?, Embedding a Wellbeing Framework in Northern Ireland and Being Bold: Building Budgets for Children’s Wellbeing.
- Save the date for the Big Lunch: Our friends at Eden Project Communities will be supporting communities to come closer together through fun, food and friendship on 5-6th June in 2021. Find out more>>
We hope that you will be able to join us at one / some of the events shared here. Please share and stay in touch!