Artist and facilitator Siôn Tomos Owen is working with participants of Welcome to our Woods’ Woodland Therapy Group. In the first six months Siôn has created an illustrated diary to explore the positive effect the environment can have on mental health. Supporting the group to convey their ideas and thoughts which may have previously been ignored. The group enjoy learning about climate and nature issues, from their walking group ‘social snails’ visits to Crop Cycle to learn about vertical farming and talks from Canal and River Trust about the reintroduction of otters and salmon.
During the initial phase of the project, Siôn found the outdoors was helping in more ways than one, as he explains in his blog published on the Literature Wales website.
Warning: This diary contains themes of mental health and thoughts of self-harm.
Siôn now works with three groups in Treherbet: The Woodland Therapy Group, The Youth Group, and open sessions at the community hall. The memories, hopes and dreams of the different groups will combine into one digital map, which will link up to a new physical walking route being established throughout the woods.
The Fruits of our Fire is supported locally by Welcome to Our Woods, and nationally by Literature Wales and WWF.