About
The Gathering Fields Wellbeing Centre is based on a traditional working farm and conservation site managed by Helen Leece, who is a therapeutic nature wellness practitioner and forest school leader. It is home to the Rewild the Child project developed in 2021. This is a grassroots project supporting young people in Lancashire and the northwest, we partner with small groups and charities that would not normally be able to access the beautiful countryside and woodlands in Lancashire. We also make it our aim to reach areas of green deprivation through our portable outreach program.
Our MISSION is to bring nature connection to our next generation, EMPOWER our young people through conservation & education with a self-led learning approach. We aim to build and nurture awareness around CLIMATE change and the impact it has on our health and wellbeing. Our wildflower meadow and broad leaf forest are our classroom’s where we embody a creative approach through various mediums to enhance engagement. We are based in the “The Forest of Bowland” Lancashire and supported by Forest of Bowland National Landscapes “Farming in protected landscapes scheme.”
Values
Natural spaces are at the forefront of all we deliver here at the centre or within our community outreach sessions. We believe that natural spaces should be accessible to everyone. Wild spaces and wildflower meadows are not just restricted to rural areas, urban cultivation is possible, and we endeavour to serve our community as nature does, just like the Bee’s, creating small pollinators patches and corridors to link to the larger community in rural areas.
Wild spaces are CRUCIAL for our eco systems with our native woodlands and green spaces being pillars for our mental well-being. Our young people are the future, where biodiversity involves our young people, all living things, and their interactions. When young people are encouraged to connect to their natural spaces through life skills, outdoor cooking, creativity, growing and conservation, they develop emotional bonds & meaning, this is when we see young people’s mental & physical health improve.
The Gathering Fields creates a safe space for our young people to experience free play, managed risk and creative learning while cultivating friendships. When children visit our centre, they get involved with planting, natural crafts, seed collecting, identification, carbon reduction and biodiversity all whilst being in flow with creative approaches to learning. We explore the medicinal benefits of local plants and species, explore traditional crafts and heritage. When you spend time with us, we encourage you to see your natural environment through many perspectives.
What we achieve
We awaken young people within a natural space and break down the barriers between urban and rural living, whilst expanding the knowledge of our young people as to where are food source comes from.
We see a considerable improvement in confidence and peer support and see the positive infusion of human-to-human contact when in the absence of digital technology.
We see the connection of young people to a sense of place, and we have seen a considerable improvement in their relationship to their community and importance of leaving a legacy.
