Join us for the Big Green Day Out

If you’re looking for something really rather lovely to do on Saturday 16th October why not take part in the Big Green Day Out.

Explore Sussex and discover all the wonderful green wellbeing projects that are doing such great work on a number of trails across Sussex. Tour the sites, meet the project leaders and experience the benefits of being outside in some beautiful locations.

For more information on the trails available including maps and info about each project see the Facebook event Big Green Day Out

We hope to see you there

Reconnect with us

Each one of us will have had our own unique experience of lockdown. For some it has been a time for pause and reflection, time to slow down. For others it’s been a lonely old time and for still others who have working to keep all our key services going it’s probably been a hectic and stressful time.

For myself, I’ve been very grateful for the chance to stop and take stock. Grow life this year was looking very busy in March with Artists Open Houses, Natural Wellbeing courses booked every month, digital storytelling workshops and of course our core, most special programme - the Season.

As we went into lockdown, we stayed connected with the Season that had already started via Zoom and like the rest of the world we wondered if Zooming was the way forward. However whilst this may have become a new word in most of our vocabularies, we took the decision that real connection - with nature and with others - was what we were all about.

So as we all start emerging like buds after a long hibernation, we’ve decided that real connection is what we need to continue doing. Obviously meeting in large groups is still not an option for us, so instead we’re going to dip out toes gently in the water and start running some small groups for shorter times and over a shorter period…but more of them, thanks to some wonderful recent funding from Brighton District Nurses Association Trust.

If you would relish the chance to reconnect with nature and with others then join us for our Reconnect Sessions. 3-4 hour sessions once a week for 4 weeks in safe, supported (and suitably distanced but always connected) groups.

We’ll travel together to some beautiful spaces around and outside of the city, spend time in nature and just enjoy the beauty that has been growing all around us while we’ve been locked down.

And some day we’ll start doing all those other wonderful things again together…but slowly…and when the time is right.

It’s a glorious summer out there right now…..come and join us. To register your interest visit our website http://www.growingwellbeing.org.uk/reconnect and fill in the online form

Happy New Year from Grow

We wish you all a happy, healthy and joyful New Year and new decade. We’re in usual winter hibernation mode at the moment, taking our lead from nature and slowing down a little to restore our energies but if your New Years resolutions include getting outside more and trying new things then we still have a couple of lovely things happening in this quiet time which you might be interested in:

Another heart-and hand-warming Fire-Making and Fire Choir workshop up at Stanmer Park on Saturday 25th Jan and 2 new Wellbeing Walks being led by Julia Gillick of IPSE Wilderness are planned for Sunday 23rd Feb and Saturday 28th March. For more details on these see our Natural Wellbeing days page www.growingwellbeing.org.uk/naturalwellbeingdays

We hope to see you out on the hills soon

New pilot Grow Season at Standen House

We are thrilled to announce that we’ve just struck up a new partnership with the National Trust at Standen House near East Grinstead and will be running a pilot Grow Season from there this Autumn.

Starting on 29th October we’ll be aiming this new Season at people from the Crawley area who are struggling with depression, anxiety or other mild to moderate mental health problems. The hope is that people will connect with the beautiful grounds and house at Standen, along with the stunning Sussex Weald location around it as a way of improving and maintaining their wellbeing.

The 8-week Season will have the usual mix of gentle activities such as mindfulness and meditation, tea and chat along with some more physical activities such as woodland walks, conservation work and gardening in the beautiful grounds of Standen House. We’ll also be working with staff and volunteers at Standen to offer some new activities - personally I’ve got my eye on the dye bed and the beehives - and there will also be the chance to see inside the beautiful arts and crafts house - itself inspired by nature. All this will be held in a safe supported group with like-minded people,

If you or anyone you know in the Crawley area could benefit from some healing time out in nature at this beautiful new location then please get in touch at info@growingwellbeing.org.uk or call us on 07557 501557