The Shropshire Outdoors project promotes health and well-being by working with organisations to provide ‘green exercise’. This involves activities such as orienteering, wildlife surveys and conservation volunteering.
The three year project (from January 2008) aims to gradually improve levels of fitness, and confidence, in the outdoors and focuses on the needs of adults with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities and people that are experiencing, or recovering from mental ill-health
The Shropshire Outdoors project also addresses barriers to countryside access by offering funding so that groups can become self-sustaining, and by undertaking access improvements to countryside sites.
For more information on the awards follow the link to the lottery good causes website.
Living Well has shortlisted the Shropshire Outdoors Project as one of four projects out of the 30 living well projects. It has been put forward for the category of "Best Health project" category.
Background information
Shropshire Outdoors is funded by the BIG Lottery ‘Living Well in the West Midlands’. It is one of the 29 projects supported by the West Midlands Regional Assembly that promote health and well-being in the West Midlands.
The Shropshire Outdoors partnership comprises Shropshire Council, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Shropshire Primary Care Trust. The project brings together countryside staff and staff and volunteers who work in the sector of health and social care. In some cases, participants have gained the skills and confidence to progress into mainstream volunteering.
Main aims and objectives of the project are to:
- consult with project users and develop activities based on their interests
- promote positive mental health and increase physical activity levels in the countryside
- increase the capacity of organisations and staff to deliver countryside activities for users
- create a sustainable legacy that enables users to progress to mainstream countryside activities
- provide material and resources to increase skills, understanding and enjoyment of the countryside
- develop opportunities for users to gain recognition of their achievementsmonitor and evaluate physical activity and its impact on health and well-being
To find out more contact the Shropshire Outdoors Project Officer.