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National Lottery

Wellness to Wildness

Wildside recognises how people’s lives have been lit up and enriched by getting outdoors and enjoying the activities we can offer. The Wellness to Wildness project which is funded through National Lottery Reaching Communities, set out to establish a longer-term programme to ensure that these benefits will extend to as many areas of the local community as possible. This includes further work with local children and families, with health related agencies and with businesses that want to improve the wellbeing of their employees. Elements of the project also focus on improving local green spaces, while improving health through increased exercise and activity in the company of others. 

    

  Wellness to Wildness aims and objectives

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  • Continue our excellent track record in providing activities, outreach and boat trips for people with disabilities, mental health issues and long-term health problems.

  • Increase activities related to health and wellbeing for local children and families.

  • Increase take up from local businesses for personnel health and wellbeing, for environmental activities, outdoor pursuits, the narrowboat, and volunteering.

  • Develop our links with other health related providers and commissioners in order to reach new user groups.

  • Develop our partnerships with organisations such as the Canal and River Trust, the City Council’s Smestow Valley Nature Reserve, Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust and Wightwick and Regis Environmental Network in order to increase use of the canal corridor for health related activities and volunteering.

 

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reaching communities

The core of the project has set out to provide 80 sessions per year of free health related activities getting people in touch with nature at the Centre or through outreach. The majority of sessions are aimed at engaging with those with additional needs but there are a number of free sessions open to local families, particularly those with low or now income. Sessions can be built around the needs of a group with specific needs or be part of our  organised holiday programme offering.  All our activities are aimed at getting people outdoors or working with natural materials in some way, whatever their level of ability, and all our staff and volunteers are enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge of wildlife with participants. To find out more about what the Wellness to Wildness programme could offer your group or family click here or call Manni on 01902 7546123

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business partnerships

A secondary focus for the Wellness to Wildness project is to drive forward business development and income generation for the charity which does not receive any form of statutory or guaranteed funding. The Project funding enabled Wildside to appoint a Business Development Manager who is tasked with increasing take up from local businesses for personnel health and wellbeing activities and volunteering. They are also seeking to develop links with health related providers and commissioners in order to reach new user groups.

To find out more about the benefits your business can gain from developing a relationship with Wildside, click here, or call us on 01902 754612.

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