As we embrace the vibrant energy of Autumn,
we're excited to bring you the latest news from Grow-Wellbeing.
Office Update - We've moved!
Our head office is now located in the brand new Make CIC building on Argyle Street, Birkenhead. This creative hub brings together makers, artists, and social enterprises, offering a vibrant community and office spaces. We continue to run many of our Nature Connection sessions at our Bidston Hill woodland site, as well as multiple other locations across Wirral, Cheshire and Merseyside. Remember, our Nature Connection services are fully mobile, so if you'd like to bring a forest school experience to your area, you can express your interest [here].
Shop Launch!
Our Forest School Shop is NOW LIVE! 🌿
After months of preparation, we're thrilled to announce that our Forest School Shop is open! Whether you're passionate about outdoor skills or connecting with nature our shop has something for you. 🍂
What You’ll Find:
Nature-inspired tools & kit
Sustainable outdoor gear
Most importantly, all our tools and equipment are tried, tested, and highly recommended by us, based on our own practice and training.
You can trust that what we offer has been used and approved in real outdoor settings. 🌿🔨 Ready to dive into the wild? Head over to our shop via the link in bio. ( Explore here )
Multiply - Free courses available!
We have once again been funded by Wirral Lifelong Learning to deliver courses through the government’s Multiply scheme. The Multiply programme is all about teaching functional math’s skills in a practical way. We are doing this in true Grow-Wellbeing form through outdoor education interventions. This term, we’re offering two free courses: a six week Beginners Gardening Course and a six week Woodland Skills Course.
These courses are available to anyone who is looking to improve their functional maths skills whilst simultaneously learning outdoor or gardening skills too. To be eligible to join these courses you must be 19 or over, a Wirral resident and NOT have above a Level 2 at GCSE maths (or equivalent). If you do have above a level 2 maths but feel that your understanding of maths is no longer at this level, you may still be eligible. Contact us to check.
Dates for the courses are as follows:
Woodland Skills Course at Bidston Hill Woodland
Fridays 1pm-3pm: 11th, 18th, 25th October, 1st, 8th, 15th November
Beginners Gardening Course at Edward Kemp Community Garden
Mondays 10am-12pm: 21st, 28th October, 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th November
Email contact@grow-wellbeing.com to express your interest in a course. Please state Multiply and the name of the course you would like to join in the email subject.
Allotment News -
Exciting things are happening at Edward Kemp!
We’ve made some improvements to our allotment site at Edward Kemp Community Garden. Ahead of the summer we built a brand-new polytunnel to enable year-round growing and some shelter in the cooler months for our workshops. Plus, we now host a Volunteer Gardening Group every Monday from 12 pm to 2 pm, and we’d love for you to join us! Our allotment is designed to be more than just a growing space—it’s a place to offer educational opportunities, build community-driven projects,
and create meaningful, therapeutic connections. Recently, our staff enjoyed a Wellbeing Day here where we prepared a group meal, made herbal vinegar infusions, and soaked up the beauty of our summer garden.
Bentinck Street
We are delighted to announce that we are now the custodians of a community garden space in Bentinck Street, Birkenhead. The Bentinck Street Project will be a community-driven initiative in Birkenhead, Wirral, located in a historically deprived area. The project aims to rejuvenate the neighborhood, turning it into a vibrant hub for innovation, art, and community engagement, helping to uplift the area and create positive change.
Through hosting events, workshops, and exhibitions, the Bentinck Street Project will not only bring people together but also contribute to the cultural and economic development of the region. By transforming underused spaces and empowering local talent, the project hopes to be a catalyst for long-term improvement in the community.
We began by hosting a community day, where local residents were invited to explore the space and share their ideas about what they’d like to see. Together, we rolled up our sleeves to clean up the area (just look at how full that skip is!) planted some greenery, and began planning the beautiful transformation of the space. Through events, workshops, and exhibitions, the Bentinck Street Project will bring people together and empower local talent, becoming a catalyst for long-term improvement in the community.
Summer HAF Project Success
This summer, we proudly ran our HAF (Holiday Adventure Fund) project not only at our Bidston Hill woodland site but also, for the first time, at Countess of Chester Country Park! HAF, funded by Edsential, offers enriching experiences and healthy food for children who receive free school meals during the holidays. From outdoor adventures to skill-building and cooking nutritious meals in nature, the children thrived in these sessions.
Educating young people about food is more vital than ever, as it impacts not only their health but the environment too. By deepening their connection to healthy food, we help children to gain understanding about nutrition. This is just one of the many magical benefits of forest school.
Training Spotlight
We’re thrilled to have launched our 6th cohort of Forest School Leader Training! Last Thursday, a new group of future leaders began their journey and we look forward to helping them become certified forest school educators. Our comprehensive program covers everything from essential theory to practical skills like fire by friction, safe camp setup, and nature identification. With a diverse team of experienced professionals, we’re paving the way for participants to succeed in this competitive yet rewarding field. Keep an eye out on our social media channels for our next training dates.
Team Update
Our team continues to thrive with the addition of new members and volunteers. We've also introduced monthly wellbeing days, filled with bonding activities to nurture a healthy work environment. These have included mindful walks through Loggerheads Woods, regular yoga sessions and a guided foraging walk through Bidston, discovering the abundance of local resources.
If you're an organisation or business interested in enhancing your team's wellbeing, we can help!
We offer a range of activities and team-building days that promote resilience and connection.
It is increasingly widely recognised that connection with nature is beneficial to both physical and mental health. There is a particularly positive effect on mental wellbeing when, rather than using nature in a utilitarian way i.e. exercising outside, playing with children in the garden or going to the beach to sunbathe, the person is connecting deeply with nature with a mindful awareness and through the senses.
Our expert team can offer a range of opportunities for your company or organisation to establish this deeper connection to nature through a variety of packages for staff wellbeing days or team building.
Possible activities we can deliver as part of a package:
- Forest bathing
- Mindful connection to nature
- Nature crafts
- Bushcraft
- Wood carving
- Team forest games
- Forest school activities for adults
- Campfire cooking
- Forest yoga
- Plants for wellbeing workshops
Let’s take your team to the next level—enquire [here].
Continuing our work in schools
We’re excited to continue partnering with Wirral schools! This year, we’re working with St. Albans and Park Primary, bringing the magic of forest school to their students.
Additionally, for the first time we are partnering with Ascent Autism Specialist College in Newton Le Willows where we are running woodland sessions twice weekly through the term. We find forest school to be an excellent environment for children and young people with additional learning needs to thrive.
Introducing forest school into school programs is essential as it encourages hands-on learning, nurtures a connection to nature, and fosters resilience, creativity and problem-solving skills—all while supporting children's mental and physical wellbeing.
Recent collaboration-Comics Youth
We teamed up with our friends at Comics Youth to take a group out on a creative nature trip to Hilbre Island.
Comics Youth is a youth-led organisation that empowers young people, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds, through creativity and artistic expression. They provide a safe space for young people to explore issues like mental health, identity, and social justice by creating comics, zines, and other forms of art. Their goal is to help youth share their stories, build confidence, and foster positive change in their communities.
We had an amazing time being inspired by all the nature around us. Everyone picked up a walking staff from Jim, our forest school leader, to help with finding squishy sand which we also put to good use making sand art. The group found beach objects along the way to inspire drawings and story creation.
Wilderness Wellbeing Sessions
Last week we led our first session with Ahead of the game foundation, a registered cancer charity that provides fully funded physical, mental, and emotional support to individuals with a confirmed cancer diagnosis.
In addition to supporting individuals diagnosed with cancer, Ahead Of The Game Foundation extends crucial support to their families and loved ones, helping them navigate the often overwhelming and life-changing impact of cancer. Through its fully funded Health & Wellbeing Cancer Rehabilitation Programme, the Foundation empowers survivors and their families to regain strength, confidence, and control, helping them move forward with renewed purpose.
Together, we are supporting children of parents with cancer through nature-based therapeutic practices, these sessions offer a nurturing environment to enhance their wellbeing on a monthly basis at Overchurch Woods.
Climate action consultation
Climate change is doing some terrible things to the planet. Climate action is what we can all do to reduce climate change.
Grow-Wellbeing is part of a group of community organisations in Merseyside and Cheshire West who would like to gain funding to work together and with residents to take climate action.
Please answer the questions below to help us understand what you would like to see and do.
Follow this link to complete the survey:
Know a Nature-Loving Young Person?
If you have a child, grandchild, or know someone in this age group who loves being outdoors, we have an exciting opportunity for them!
They can learn woodland skills, practice bushcraft, plant trees, and get involved in community gardening—all while making a real difference for the environment. 🌳🌱
By joining our Youth Advisory Group, they’ll be taking action against climate change and helping shape nature-based environmental projects right here on the Wirral. And the best part? They’ll even get to help us come up with a name for the group! 🙌
If this sounds like something they’d love, encourage them to register by emailing contact@grow-wellbeing.com. We’d love to hear from them soon!
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