The Birch Collective

We work alongside young adults to empower and support your transition into adulthood.

We want you to unlock your potential to engage fully with life, and to respond resiliently to life's challenges.

We believe that developing connections with the natural world gives you a sense of belonging, and helps you find purpose in life.

We offer you the chance to be part of an inclusive community where you can explore new found skills and interests.

City of Bristol College ESOL course students enjoying the garden

West of England Nature Partnership

Second Step

The Prince's Trust

West of England Healthier with nature

Dates

Who for?

Fresh, is our weekly group for 16-25 year olds. We offer a range of activities designed at a pace to make learning accessible and to draw out your creativity.

There is no fixed time limit to attendance, attend all year round, once a month or just one off, totally up to you. You can attend until your 26 birthday. If you are older the 26 or reach that age there are opportunities to return as peer mentor to support others, if this is of interest to you.

We would be grateful if you could find the time share your feedback on the service we offer by completing this simple form below. 

https://forms.gle/KeH3u911yXTRabnA8

It only takes a maximum of 5 minutes to complete. 

You may be sent a reminder to fill this in again in 3 months time. This will allows us to see how our support effects people over time. 

Your feedback is vital to enabling us to continue to access grant and government funding to deliver our services in the future.

You can expect to learn a huge range of practical skills and ways to create beauty and bounty. We explore 4 main areas of interest:

What to Expect

Who is this suitable for?

A FREE weekly group for 16-25 year olds, just a 5-minute walk from St George's Park!

Come hang out with us to learn, explore, and have fun in our garden and the nature around us!

You can expect everything from foraging walks and natural crafts to organic food growing, natural building, and even some cooking sessions.

We’re all about keeping it relaxed, so feel free to just hang out by the fire with a cuppa and chill!

A FREE weekly group for 16-25 year olds, 5 minutes walk from St George's Park

Fresh-Air-Thursdays

After securing NHS funding we have undertaken a number of long-term 1:1 placements. (6 months plus), in conjunction with the Bristol Green Social prescribing team and Second Step.

 Those we are supporting have specific and persistent mental health needs and we are working with the natural world to support them.

The focus of this work is to assist in integrating those with long standing health conditions back into the community, where their current situation prohibits them from attending group settings.

We can work with with varying types and severity of mental health difficulties, please get in contact to discuss yours or your clients needs and we can discuss if this may be a suitable intervention and the cost.

We would be grateful if you could find the time share your feedback on the service we offer by completing this simple form below. 

https://forms.gle/9KC7vZQ174Tdtkr2A

It only takes a maximum of 5 minutes to complete. 

You may be sent a reminder to fill this in again in 3 months time. Tis will allows us to see how our support effects people over time. 

Your feedback is vital to enabling us to continue to access grant and government funding to deliver our services in the future.


Please follow the link below or go to our contact page to enquire about cost, availability and suitability

NHS-backed support offered in various outdoor settings to help people connect with nature and improve wellbeing.

NHS-funded support, in partnership with the Bristol Green Social Prescribing team and Second Step, offering wellbeing sessions in various outdoor settings.

Designed for individuals with specific and ongoing mental health needs.

Wokring with nature to support recovery and help with reintegration into the community.

Commissioned NHS provision to support individuals in a range of outdoor settings

1:1 Nature-Based Mentoring

Sessions are flexible and suitable dates can be found to suit the group

We offer therapeutic forest school sessions for young adults in Stoke Park Woodlands. These practical, exploratory sessions focus on the health and wellbeing of participants through activities including:

- Natural crafts: willow weaving, clay, green woodwork, leather work

- Bushcraft & cooking on the fire

- Mindfulness & relaxation Games which develop a connection to nature

- Woodland care and management

These can be designed to meet the outcomes of the group you have in mind. We have worked alongside a diverse range of people including those with anxiety and depression, refugees and asylum seekers and people who are neuro-diverse.

We have worked with the City of Bristol College to design and deliver a bespoke module of Therapeutic Forest Schools with their English as an Additional Language department and their tutor reports 'Our students have appreciated being in the forest and learning new skills.

In one activity where we were creeping round the forest to see what birds we could find, a student said that they wouldn't be able to do this in their country because of the dangerous animals, and many didn't know that you can do this in England. The impact this has on them and the next generation is huge.

In addition we developed a short course programme for United Response, who work with adults with life limiting physical disabilities and learning disabilities.

We would be grateful if you could find the time share your feedback on the service we offer by completing this simple form below. 

https://forms.gle/KeH3u911yXTRabnA8

It only takes a maximum of 5 minutes to complete. 

You may be sent a reminder to fill this in again in 3 months time. This will allows us to see how our support effects people over time. 

Your feedback is vital to enabling us to continue to access grant and government funding to deliver our services in the future.

This programme is free! Register your interest below.

Tailored programs for specific groups, co-designed with partner organisations.

A variety of Nature venues across Bristol to choose from.

Sessions co-designed and delivered with:
-United Response, supporting adults with physical and learning disabilities
-City of Bristol College, focusing on ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) courses

Provision for specific target groups co-designed with partnering organisations 

Therapeutic forest school

Where

Cost

🌳 We’re excited to be returning to Moor Barton Wilding for another unforgettable Birch Camp after an incredible 5-day experience in 2024!

Just a two-hour drive from Bristol, Moor Barton is a private 120-acre site on Dartmoor, dedicated to ecological restoration, thriving wildlife, and building healthy, diverse communities. The landscape is a rich mosaic of habitats, including wood pasture, hazel coppice, transitional edge, wildflower glades, closed canopy woodland, wetlands, veteran trees, and conifer woodland.

🌿 We’ll have access to a flat camping area, a kitchen, a large indoor space with a cosy fire, two compost toilets, basic shower facilities, and a beautiful stream running through the land—all surrounded by 120 acres to explore!

🐾 The site is closed to the public, so this is a unique opportunity to experience one of the UK’s most exciting ecological restoration projects up close. Plus, Moor Barton has even reintroduced beavers and wild ponies!

In small groups lead by highly experienced outdoor educators and facilitators we will engage in a huge variety of hands on activities that will challenge and inspire you.

Expect to play and work hard, have time alone and time in the group.

What

What to expect

Benefits

The camp is open to all young people 18 - 25 who:

Hey there! We’d love your thoughts on Camp Birch. If you could take a quick minute to fill out the form below, we’d really appreciate it: Feedback Form https://forms.gle/KeH3u911yXTRabnA8

Camp Birch Feedback Form

This is a part-funded, pay what you can programme!
Register your interest for Camp Birch 2025 by downloading the form below and sending it to us.

A FREE 5-day residential camp for 18-25 year olds, set in the stunning Dartmoor wilderness

Meet new people and hang out with the ones you already know!

Camp in a beautiful forest spot, surrounded by old trees, and plenty of beautiful birds and wildlife!

Take a break from the hustle, slow down, and enjoy a simpler way of living that’s more in sync with nature.

An annual FREE 5-day residential camp for 18-25 year olds on the Beautiful Dartmoor

Camp Birch

Time: 

Cost: 

The Pickle Factory, All Hallows Road, Bristol, BS5 0HL

Where:

£30 shopping voucher for attending all 3 sessions

Reward

Curious about how social action can build stronger communities and individuals?  🤔 Want to participate in a project that supports mental health? 🌱 This is your opportunity! 🙌

We’re offering 16-25 year olds the chance to explore these themes with experts over three FREE evenings. Together, we'll look into the what helps to support community building, mental health, and how action in nature can combat loneliness.

As an organisation, we believe your voice should be at the heart of decision-making. This workshop is a platform for you to shape the future of The Birch Collective and gain useful experience along the way.

Sign up through think Eventbrite link: https://bit.ly/47tpoWp AND share your details through the sign up button below.

Deadline to register: October 23rd, 2024, 23:59pm

No prior experience with The Birch Collective needed—everyone is welcome!

Scroll down for more Details:  👇🏾

We get that too much talking can be tiring, so we’ve planned in time for quiet reflection during the sessions. You’ll have space to take a break, relax, and try out a few easy techniques to reflect on your own, in whatever way works best for you.

(for Workshop Participants Only)

If you have completed the 3-day workshop, we’d be grateful if you could take a moment to share your feedback on the service we offer by completing this simple form: 

📝 Feedback form: https://bit.ly/4e3lea2 

Steering Group Feeback 

 Sign up through the Eventbrite  link & then share your details through the sign up below.

Three workshops diving into Mental Health, Social Action, Nature, and how you can help shape the future of Birch Collective.

We explore how to build positive wellbeing by understanding the difference between being alone and feeling connected.

We dive into Social Action—what it is, how it boosts wellbeing, and helps us feel more connected.

Finally, we’ll take what we've learned to brainstorm how we can use our skills and resources to support other young people in the future.

3 Workshops exploring Mental Health, Social Action, Nature and how you can influence the future of Birch  

Steering group

We have developed a programme of peer mentoring for graduates of our FRESH and Camp Birch.

You will gain ongoing training and guidance to return to future programmes to support others who are just beginning their journey. We will explore what aspects of the work you would most like to gain skills and experience in and work alongside you to develop goals for your placement.

This year we will be bringing back 2 participants from last years camp to join us and support the new people who join us in the woods this year.

They will also be invited to pre and post camp meet-up session to share their experiences and ease the nerves of those that are coming for the first time this year.

We also developing how bring a stronger voice of those we work with into the decision making and delivery of our services at Birch. Peer mentors will be invited to join us for our Autumn Steering group and also be invited to join our decision making body.

This is an opportunity for personal development and to provide experience and skills for those that may wish to pursue a career in nature-based therapies, facilitation or land-based learning.

Completing this journey will provide valuable learning to embark on a future career in these areas.

Once on the programme you can expect to gain these skills and develop these parts of yourself:

A training and support program for graduates of our programmes.

We provide tailored training, supervision, and guidance for young people who want to step into a supportive role.

Thinking about a career in the land-based field?

We can help you build skills and gain experience in leading outdoor groups.

A programme of training and support for graduates of our programmes

Seeding Change

Donations go towards ensuring all our core programmes are free of charge

We are always looking for volunteers to help us develop and support our work.

The Ernest Cook Trust

The Listening Fund

School for Social Entrepreneurs

Heritage Fund

Community Fund

Necessity

People's Health Trust 

Peoples Postcode Lottery

Focus Foundation

Quartet Commuity Foundation

The Swan Mountain trust

Sirona Foundation

Barchester's Charitable Foundation

Wessex Water

Portishead Nautical Trust

Asda Foundation

Check out our craft workshops! All profits go towards funding our core programmes.

I feel I've left feeling more accepting of other people and myself

The time I got to spend with others on the camp was just something so magical and wonderful and beautiful I can't fully describe it. If you find interacting with others difficult or intimidating, or if you're struggling with your mental health, please consider giving it a go. It was absolutely worth it and I am incredibly thankful I got to go.

An experience I won't forget for a long time!

"Meeting new people and having new experiences has been massive for me"

The Birch Collective

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