Waterproofs, Wellies and Wellness

Summer is making its way across the Downs, and people are heading out to get their nature fix� Personally, having the South Downs as a place to escape during the pandemic felt like a life-saver and they’ve had a special place in my heart ever since�

I’m certainly not alone in needing to get out into green spaces� Immersing yourself in nature has a long list of health benefits, both mental and physical� So much so, that improving access to green spaces could save the NHS money by keeping people healthier and happier� Children who spend time in nature have even been shown to learn better and achieve more at school� Being connected to our environment has a life-long impact on each of us�

Many of us came to appreciate this fact more than ever during the pandemic, when getting outside meant a muchneeded change of scenery and a chance to spend time with friends and family� While, for most people, normality has returned, this quiet love for nature has persisted� But, those of us able to get out and explore are often more fortunate than we realise� Many people across the UK face barriers to accessing nature� This is particularly true for older people, those dealing with health problems, and people living in deprived areas or facing poverty�

Connection And Community

Part of what The Wellderness - an organisation set up during the pandemichas been doing over the past few years, is trying to bring people together and place the community back into nature�

Doing so in a way that is accessible to everyone isn’t always easy, especially when the things holding people back aren’t always obvious� Wheelchair-accessible spaces and low-cost or free tickets are a starting point to bring more of the community together, but the barriers facing people aren’t necessarily visible� Last year, The Wellderness sat down with Gina Bradbury Fox from the Outdoor Guide Foundation to talk about the Waterproofs and Wellies Campaign�

By Ellie Davis

“Roughly a third of children in state primary schools do not get outside because they don’t have the right kit,” she explained�

The Outdoor Guide was started by Gina and her sister, presenter Julia Bradbury, to share information about the great outdoors but it became apparent that this wasn’t enough� As Gina explained, children get outside less than prison inmates� In the summer months, getting out during school breaks can be fun� But come the cold and the rain, many kids from deprived areas are either trapped inside or forced to face the weather, leaving them wet, cold, miserable and with less love for nature than ever� So, the Outdoor Guide Foundation launched its Waterproofs and Wellies Campaign and The Wellderness quickly got on board�

The goal of the campaign is simple: donate 10 sets of wellies and waterproofs to every state primary school in the UK…all 20,000 of them!

GETTING WORTHING’S KIDS INTO NATURE

Last year, the team at The Wellderness ran a fundraiser including a family event at Furzefield� The Wellderness wanted to give local businesses a chance to support the community in the process, so suggested anyone willing to help out could buy and donate tickets, allowing the community to attend for free� The response was spectacular: all ticket sales came via donation, allowing everyone who attended the event to do so for free� All sales went to the Outdoor Guide Foundation, raising £275 and Focus Group, a tech company based in Shoreham, donated an additional £275� A further £320 came in via raffle ticket sales for prizes donated by partners of the Outdoor Guide Foundation�

In total, the event raised enough for three schools� The outdoor clothing kits were donated to local schools: St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Worthing, Field Place Infant School in Durrington and Buckingham Park Primary School in Shoreham�

The event was a genuine demonstration of what communities can achieve when they come together� Each of the schools run programmes designed to get their students out into nature and these kits will allow children to join in with forest school, play outside, or join the school’s gardening club�

Bringing The Outdoors Home

It’s been inspiring to see our local community changing children’s lives� But the reality of inequality is never simple� Barriers to accessing nature are varied and complex and if we don’t value the natural world, they won’t be tackled� The reality is, that we could do with changing our whole relationship with the environment� Getting outside and connecting with nature improves our lives and incentivises us to better protect it� We saw that shift begin during the pandemic, with so many people taking time to slow down and be in nature� But with a return to our normal, busy lives, we are already losing a lot of that newfound connection� Being outside from an early age has the potential to drastically improve a child’s life� But if parents are not spending that time outside, their children aren’t either�

The real task is inspiring children and adults alike to bring nature into their dayto-day lives� Whether that means long weekend walks with the kids or simply stopping to listen to the birds in your local park� Making nature connection a more central part of our day-to-day, even in small ways, could change all our lives for the better�

Worthing-based community interest company Dad

La Soul is celebrating a trio of recent award wins, including a Points of Light from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, £10k funding from Comic Relief and becoming a finalist in the “Grammys of Entrepreneurship.”

The small team of volunteers based in Worthing are celebrating after a run of recent success in the last week, starting with a £10K grant fund from Comic Relief to expand their innovative Dads-Only Meetups, events are currently running in Worthing� The new Meetups will take place every month at incredible venues in Brighton, and Hove�

The Meetups are open to dads, stepdads, grandads and all male-identifying carers, with a mixture of entertainment and opportunities to meet new friends and support each other� Branded “a youth club for dads with a difference”, the idea was borne out of the group discovering that men tend to witness their social circles shrink after they have children, with fewer opportunities for them to open up to their peers�