Research for Clynfyw Natural Therapy Health Centre

Our present projects include farm and woodland based eco-therapy schemes which support people with a range of specific and complex sensory needs who come to us under the learning disability label. We would like to expand this area of our work, especially to make it more valuable for people recovering from mental health issues, through the development of a specific Natural Therapy Health Service which would build on, and expand our present work, with a much more in depth focus on the health and healing aspects. The Project which we are hoping to fund through LEADER is the funding of a Feasibility Study looking into how best to develop this Service. We also plan to make a short and accessible film which can be used as a way of introducing the concept of Natural Health Centres, leading on to a more in depth and academic on-paper Feasibility Study

Project Budget:

Total £20,500 of which £14,999 LEADER

Project Outcomes:

Ran a Research Project and developed a Feasibility Study over a 250-hour period running for six months which enabled development of the idea following best practice, including visits to other Sensory projects in the UK.

The Project ran over the summer of 2016 with 10 therapeutic activity days for people who would gain the most from this scheme.  A Care Farm For Beginners Handbook was also produced.  The project has led to more outdoor activities and working with PCNPA now offer Outdoors on your Doorstep.

The main benefit was to enable the linking of community-based mental health services, enabling them all to work in a more cohesive manner more efficiently and effectively.

” Kayaking, and indeed spending time outside in any recreational manner, is a great way of improving mental health and all round wellbeing.  This project demonstrated that and will be used by us, and others in the future.  It was also a useful tool of linking community based mental health services, enabling us all to work in a more cohesive manner – more efficiently and effectively.”

Lessons Learned:

Working with other groups proved harder than anticipated to get agreement.