A major new project to support young people build and maintain resilience in their wellbeing has been funded by The Rothschild Foundation.

The Nature Alliance aims to create a fully integrated Nature, Health and Wellbeing provision throughout Buckinghamshire offering direct links to nature based activities to support young people’s wellbeing county wide. Developing pathways to enable them to significantly impact on green recovery is also very important to the Alliance and compliments the improvement in wellbeing that is an inevitable outcome for the young people who will get involved with all that it offers.

The Nature Alliance is a partnership with other nature based organisations:

• Lindengate Mental Health Charity
• Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust
• Chiltern Rangers
• Chiltern Society
• Road Farm Countryways

The Nature Alliance believes this partnership will kick start ‘green prescribing’ in Buckinghamshire and help the county lead the way in establishing nature-based health promotion and green care, first for young people, and subsequently adults.

Commitment to Support the Nature Alliance comes from Oxford Health HNS FT, Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust, Bucks Public Health Team, Bucks Mind and Trailblazers. The Nature Alliance will build on Lindengate’s role as the lead Tier Two mental health service provider to emerge from the Buckinghamshire Mental Health Response Group for Covid 19, providing early help and targeted services in the form of specialized nature based activities.

Charlie Powell, Co-Founder and General Manager at Lindengate explains: “Lindengate is only 21% full at the moment but so many people with common mental disorders (CMDs) like depression and anxiety are already in the system, waiting weeks, if not months, for a ‘talking therapy’ referral like CBT or counselling. Frequently their mental health is deteriorating while they wait. The Nature Alliance can bridge the gap and offer some help now. We just need to join up the services.”

Neil Macdonald, Chief Executive, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust: “The Trust and indeed me personally have been a big supporter and user of green prescribing as an effective intervention in people’s health and well-being.  Not only is this supported in how we offer intervention to residents in our community, it is also important for the health of my colleagues in the health and social care workforce. If one’s job is to care, then one’s first priority must be to look after the people looking after the people! I speak on behalf of my workforce of over 6 thousand colleagues in supporting this valuable research for the wider community.”

Steering Committee Voluntary Chairperson Vacancy

The Nature Alliance are now actively seeking the right person to Chair the Alliance Steering Group in a voluntary capacity. If you think your experience will bring  the professional leadership and skills required, please click on the following:  Apply Here