Myplace is a Lancashire based ecotherapy project delivered by Lancashire Wildlife Trust in partnership with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. The project promotes a natural way to wellbeing through engaging people in a diverse range of outdoor activities.

Already, Myplace has supported over 500 people including young adults, older individuals and people struggling with long-term unemployment. With a staggering 1 in 4 people in the UK experiencing a mental health problem each year, projects such as Myplace are more important than ever.

Steve Tingle, who works as Head of Operations for Children and Young People’s Wellbeing at Lancashire Care NHS Trust, has taken on this incredible challenge in an effort to raise £1000 for the Wildlife Trust.

“I am keen to highlight and promote a rounded approach to the health and wellbeing of young people and believe that Myplace and similar schemes can complement clinical services such as those we provide in Children and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) services. I am also a firm believer that the social contact young people have with other young people at schemes such as Myplace can be hugely beneficial in improving their wellbeing and mental health.

Ecotherapy helps us to create a connection with our environment and with other people. It helps us to balance out the more sedentary and ‘virtual’ lives we can lead in a digital world. I hope that in some way I have helped to lead by example within Lancashire Care Trust and at the same time raise awareness of this really important service for young people with mental health needs.”

Myplace runs weekly ecotherapy sessions across Lancashire. The sessions incorporate a diverse range of activities based on practical conservation work, wildlife walks, mindful environments, bushcraft and growing projects. Through these activities Myplace is empowering people to take action for wildlife, communities and their own wellbeing. The sessions help people to build their self-confidence, meet new friends and learn new skills.

Rhoda Wilkinson, Myplace Coordinator at Lancashire Wildlife Trust said “The whole Myplace team have been really excited to follow Steve’s challenge, it’s an amazing goal. He’s also chosen some beautiful routes as well that really highlight the wellbeing benefits of being outdoors in nature. £1000 will provide a huge benefit to groups that we work with, enabling us to provide extra resources from bushcraft equipment, to timber for bird boxes and bee homes, to extra waterproofs that keep people loving the outdoors during the great British winter.”

So far, Steve has run an incredible 5 marathons already and with the last one to be completed in the next few months. You can support Steve Tingle and his efforts to raise money for the Myplace project by heading to Steve’s JustGiving page, www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steve-tingle.

Myplace is an exciting and innovative ecotherapy project delivered by Lancashire Wildlife Trust in partnership with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust. The project is funded by the European Social Fund and the Big Lottery Fund through ‘Our Bright Future. Myplace is one of 31 Our Bright Future projects across the UK. Each one is equipping 11-24 year olds to make a difference in their local community and for the environment. Our Bright Future is a £33 million programme funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.