At the start of this year we awarded funding to Barefooted, a Northamptonshire based not for profit organisation that aims to support and transform people's health, wellbeing, and quality of life through the arts.
Our funding was used towards their Nature Nostalgia project. This is a cross arts & nature project, designed to engage underserved older individuals in outdoor creative activities that encourage and capture reminiscence of childhood experiences of nature play, in partnership with Age UK Northamptonshire.
The project brought together a group of 25 participants 65yrs+ who have been identified by Age UK & their social prescribing strand, as being lonely or socially isolated, to participate in a weekly nature-based cross arts (movement, music &nature art) activity for 13-weeks in a beautiful outside space at Delapré Abbey.
Through creative activities, sessions revived themes of nature play, and encouraged participants memories from their own childhoods/cultures. The project aimed to create an immersive & therapeutic experience for older individuals by combining movement, music and nature to uncover memories & reminisce about childhood experiences.
It promoted physical activity, mental well-being and fostered a sense of nostalgia and connection with nature and each other, enhancing quality of life and stimulating meaningful conversations among peers. Interactions with natural environments helps older adults stay healthy, active, and connected to the world around them, as well as elevating mood, reducing symptoms of depression & anxiety, and increasing feelings of happiness and relaxation.
This project acted as a pilot and gathered evidence of impact, which will enable Barefooted to draw in support from the local authority and social prescribing networks to sustain their work.