Green Light Trust – Case Study
Green Light Trust provide health, welfare and learning opportunities for people in the natural environment. The focus is on young people disadvantaged by disability, social circumstance or isolated through health-related issues; and adults with needs such as drug and alcohol recovery or mental health issues.
The funding received will support the staff of the organisation to move their ‘natural environment’ offering to online, helping them to develop video support to its vulnerable community. They work with over 1,500 beneficiaries each year. Now, more than ever – in this period of heightened fear and anxiety – those supported are most at risk from periods of isolation in terms of the adverse impact on their mental health, their family relationships and their propensity to relapse where recovery from alcohol or substance addiction is a factor. This programme will provide access to interactive online video group weekly sessions, which incorporates online lunch, a nature walk as their one type of exercise per day, nature learning and sharing of knowledge and craft activities. The programme runs from 10-3 one day a week and they have supplied a very comprehensive timetable and programme that will be used.
We are so grateful for the grant we have been given by the Coronavirus Community Fund towards our costs to adapt our woodland delivery model to an online support model; still using nature as a basis for wellbeing and progression. We have had to quickly adapt our services to ensure that we can continue to support our beneficiaries at a time of isolation and uncertainty, when our support is even more vital. This has involved additional costs and depletion of reserves, so any funding we are able to obtain to offset this is so valuable at this very difficult time for all charities and the communities that rely on them.
