Connecting with Nature on Earth Day
Here at Alder Hey, nature is all around us. From the park which plays host to our Forest School, to our Chelsea Flower Show garden that leads the way to the Catkin Centre and Sunflower House, nature provides a beautiful backdrop to our healthcare campus, and is integral to the work that we do.
To celebrate Earth Day, which took place on Monday 22nd April, staff from our Fresh CAMHS service hosted a seed planting event in the gardens of our charity-funded Catkin Centre and Sunflower House. They invited staff and patients to plant seeds and celebrate the therapeutic benefits of connecting with nature. Earth Day is a day to celebrate our beautiful planet, shed light on the importance of its health and emphasise our individual roles in preserving it, values integral to us here at Alder Hey.
The seeds and supplies for the event were kindly gifted by one of the charity’s newest corporate partners – global manufacturer Flex. Staff at the Flex Warrington site have recently voted Alder Hey Children’s Charity as their Charity of the Year, committing to support the 450,000 children and young people that are treated at Alder Hey every year. The Flex team will be supporting the charity throughout the year with a variety of fundraising events and activities, and will be supported by the organisation’s matched funding programme.
As fellow innovators and problem-solvers, we’re delighted to be supported by an organisation whose commitment to pushing the limits of what is possible is equal to our own. Recently awarded the esteemed title of one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies 2024, Flex has demonstrated its commitment to ethical business practices, integrity, and corporate social responsibility.
Trish Harrop, Executive PA at Flex, commented the following:
“Supporting a worthy cause is really important to everyone here at Flex, and if it’s a local charity we are supporting, even better! This year, our employees decided they would like to help raise funds for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Within Flex as a whole, Earth Day provides an opportunity for us to think globally, act locally, and contribute to a cleaner, healthier world together. It is also a chance for us to spread awareness and advance environmentally sustainable practices. We are therefore delighted to have been able to donate a selection of gardening items to Alder Hey and hope that both the children and staff enjoy planting, nurturing, and seeing the results of all their efforts in the form of some beautiful flowers and herbs.”
Kaitlin Germain, Corporate Fundraising Assistant, added: “We are so excited to be working with Flex as their Charity of the Year for 2024. We couldn’t do the amazing work we do without wonderful companies like Flex, and we are so grateful for their generous donation of planting supplies and equipment. We had such a great day at our planting stand for Earth Day, and really enjoyed focussing on nature and mindfulness. We look forward to working alongside Flex on other activities throughout the year.”
Our Earth Day celebrations underpin our child-centred approach to healthcare, with an emphasis on play, creativity, problem solving and horticultural therapy, including our Forest School and Nature Well programmes.
Liverpool FRESH CAMHS is part of Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, providing community-based specialist mental health and emotional well-being service for children and young people (aged 0-18) and their families/carers.
The Forest School programme offers a unique opportunity for our patients to experience the outdoors in a new way, to build confidence in their abilities, to make friends and to learn valuable skills including building dens, using tools safely and learning how to cook outside. For some of our patients, who may have struggled to connect with traditional therapy models, Forest School has offered a calming opportunity to reconnect with nature and to take a step back from the noise of everyday life.
Working with Natural Academy and their NatureWell course has equipped CAMHS staff to deliver a mindful approach to nature, where children are encouraged to look at the beauty of nature, our connections to nature, and how nature makes us feel in terms of our emotions. They also run a horticulture programme at our RHS Chelsea Garden, the “Alder Hey Urban Foraging Station”, where young people can learn how to grow, and even identify edible plants and herbs!
Describing the benefits to health that the great outdoors can bring, Carl Dutton, Specialist Mental Health Practitioner at Fresh CAMHS, said:
“Fresh CAMHS offers outdoor sessions both on site in the Chelsea Garden and in Springfield Park, as part of its therapies. We know from research that being outdoors and close to nature is good for us physically and psychologically. This need to be outdoors is called biophilia and is an innate part of being human.
The therapies we offer include Forest School which is child led where young people can explore nature through play, woodcraft activities, and storytelling. We offer Nature Well which has its roots in ecopsychology and how our health is linked to out connection to the natural world. Finally, we offer Horticulture sessions where young people can plan and create garden spaces to grow plants and put bird feeders and bug houses up to help the garden grow.”
Thank you again to Flex, and to all our generous supporters, whose donations help us to deliver innovative and life-changing therapies and experiences to children and young people who need us now.
