TCV is celebrating its 65th Anniversary in 2024. Sixty-five years since the first volunteers gathered at Box Hill in Surrey to help protect the local wildlife.
To help celebrate our 65th Anniversary we set up a competition for all TCV teams to create a piece of art using only the amazing resources we have in nature to best represent us and our work.
The winner of this competition is London-based Nature Heritage Group! This is an amazing project that connects people over 65 – some of whom have with less mobility – to green spaces in a unique way, and the art they created is a perfect example of this.
Who are Nature Heritage Group and what do they do?
Those who take part in the Nature Heritage Group are all residents of sheltered housing homes, all of whom are aged 65+ with varying levels of health and mobility.
The Nature Heritage Group was established in 2020, as a way to help manage greenspace around local authority sheltered housing sites in the London Borough of Camden. As a result of the social isolation caused by Covid pandemic lockdowns, the project also addresses loneliness and aims to enhance community connectivity. Over the last few years, the project has grown from four sheltered housing sites to nine, and TCV Project Officer Chloe Strohm, runs a Nature Heritage Group session at each site once a month.
What kind of activities does the group undertake?
The Nature Heritage Group activities are focused on three main elements:
1) Gardening – they do both outside and indoor gardening activities, even during especially bad weather. These activities include growing fruit and vegetables, planting bulbs for spring displays and maintaining the flower beds, trees and shrubs in the gardens.
2) Citizen Science – TCV Project Officer Chloe Strohm supports residents to take part in surveys such as the Big Garden Birdwatch and the Big Butterfly Count which occur every year.
3) Nature Themed Arts and Crafts – these are mainly seasonal activities like festive winter wreaths, pumpkin carving and spring crafts. Many of these activities use natural materials (flowers and plants) from the sheltered housing gardens to create art pieces like the nature loom they created for TCV’s 65th Anniversary competition. As part of the sessions the groups also have a morning or afternoon tea social for the residents to further tackle loneliness and isolation.
Since its creation in 2020, the Nature Heritage Group has recorded some impressive social impacts.
Through 16 impact surveys received by residents since joining in the Nature Heritage Group this year:
43.8% agree they feel more connected to nature with 25% of this figure strongly agreeing,
43.8% agree they have learnt a new skill with 37.5% of this figure strongly agreeing,
43.8% agree the project has had a positive impact on the local community with 37.5% of this figure strongly agreeing,
43.8% agree they feel more connected to other people with 37.5% of this figure strongly agreeing,
37.5% agree they feel their wellbeing has improved with 25% of this figure strongly agreeing,
How does the Nature Heritage Group work with partners?
The staff at IDVerde & Camden Council are brilliant at working together to support the Nature Heritage Group. They meet monthly to plan activities and identify where support is needed. TCV Project Officer Chloe Strohm also works with the individual site managers who help promote and encourage residents to get involved and also help with providing the all-important tea and cake!
Over the last couple of years, TCV has been bringing in corporate volunteers to help support residents with some of the more physical activities. With the help and support of the corporate volunteers the group has been able to build new raised beds for residents to grow fruit and vegetables, as well as creating a fantastic new compost bay.
Whilst the Nature Heritage Group is only open to residents of the sheltered housing homes in Camden, TCV has plenty of other opportunities to get involved in volunteering across the region. From the bi-weekly Camden Green Gym, to the Biodiversity Action Team in Waltham Forest, visit the TCV London website to find out about volunteering opportunities close to where you live.
If you are interested in volunteering with TCV in your area you can find activities close to you here.
