Outdoors 4 All Together: Forest bathing, ecotherapy, and getting close to nature Lancashire-style

It's well-established that immersing oneself in nature is a wholly positive thing when it comes to mental health and well-being. The formal practice of connecting more closely with all things green and colourful in order to improve one's psychological state is call ecotherapy and, with outdoor activities often containing a social element as well, the benefits can be astonishingly far-reaching.
O4AT Directors (from left) Joanne Collinge, Steve Tomlinson, Anna Whittingham-Topliss, Dawn Robinson, and Val MurrayO4AT Directors (from left) Joanne Collinge, Steve Tomlinson, Anna Whittingham-Topliss, Dawn Robinson, and Val Murray
O4AT Directors (from left) Joanne Collinge, Steve Tomlinson, Anna Whittingham-Topliss, Dawn Robinson, and Val Murray

Seeking to tap into the positive potential of such practices, Outdoors 4 All Together is a group which uses the natural beauty of the North West to help people of all ages and capabilities. From their well-being programme, which incorporates stress reduction and attention restoration techniques, to their World Health Organisation-endorsed Friends Resilience Programme, the group is passionate about the myriad benefits of nature in an increasingly stressful and myopically digital world.

Founded around 12 months ago, O4AT is led by Steve Tomlinson and Anna Whittingham-Topliss with the help of Directors Val Murray, Dawn Robinson, and Joanne Collinge. Between the five of them, they have degrees in environmental management, occupational therapy, health and social care, and landscape management, as well as experience in teaching, mental health awareness, and therapeutic horticulture.

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​"We all had a similar interest in the outdoors and had seen the holistic benefits nature can bring with anxiety, mental health, and well-being, so we provide a non-pressurised environment in which people can try something completely different in their own time and space," says Steve Tomlinson, 58. "We get everybody interested in doing something new; it's about opening people up to new skills, confidence-building, and learning that it's okay to fail.

Campfire & ConversationCampfire & Conversation
Campfire & Conversation

"Lighting a fire takes quite a bit of doing, so having resilience and perseverance is key," adds Steve, from Clitheroe. "Anybody can get involved and we let people do everything at their own pace; coming outside and doing something practical can really help. You see interesting differences in people as they gain confidence and it's great to give people the freedom to try things and gain the positive benefits of being part of a community."

Some of the events run by O4AT include Campfire and Conversation, which allows people to get together for an informal chat; therapeutic gardening at Brinscall Hall; and nighttime dark skies events in Gisburn Forest. During lockdown, they were determined to maintain some kind of presence and so held Zoom campfire and conversation meetings which have now grown into small in-person gatherings in gardens.

"We're obviously advocates for it already, but I think lockdown will make more people realise how important it is to get outside," Steve says. "We've noticed more people out and about on walks and everyone just wants to be able to do something different and not be stuck in the house, so hopefully it's opened people's eyes to what's on their doorstep.

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"Just going outside and being able to sit and just do nothing for five minutes gives people a real boost," he adds. "There's such a big holistic benefit to be gained from nature itself and we do a lot of work with younger children who are constantly on the go. We just say 'right, we're going to ask you to do something really difficult now: sit still and do nothing for two minutes.'

"After a while, they're asking us if they can have their two minutes of quiet because they've come to appreciate it," explains Steve. "There's a lot of pride in that and we get some real lightbulb moments as people let nature do its stuff."

The concept of 'forest bathing' or shinrin-yoku was first developed in Japan in the 1980s and, with UK estate agents seeing a surge in interest in moving to the country during the coronavirus-imposed lockdown, one can see the practice getting a second wind over the coming years.

"There's a line from a poem that says 'what is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare'," says Steve. "Sometimes it's fine just to stand and stare and get lost in your thoughts."

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