Guisborough Wellbeing Forestry Walk: A report to Forestry England on the emotional effects of the Guisborough wellbeing trail

Abstract

The research questions designed for this project seek to discover to what extent new methodologies that use visual methods can support the evaluation of in-depth emotional reactions to the Forestry England wellbeing trails.

The methods employed in the research include the walk itself, the participation of the Forestry England Coordinator in facilitating wellbeing exercises, the collection of found objects, the use of drawings, and in particular the Visual Matrix exercise, followed up by the post-matrix discussion.

The pilot project took place in Guisborough Forest with a group of local asylum seekers whose complex wellbeing needs in terms of place, culture and identity provided a potential forum for understanding the effects of the Guisborough wellbeing trail.

The report findings demonstrate a very positive and deep connection between the experience of the walk as a group and the concerns and anxieties that such a group might bring with them. The walk elicited comforting memories of the asylum seekers’ countries of origin and an expression of a deep desire for freedom – like the birds in the sky – along with a yearning for a living space to call home. The trail also brought about a deepening of emotional and bonding connectivity among the walkers who were able to move towards relationships of friendship as opposed to the isolation of individuals in desperate situations. This human interconnectivity was associated with the way the forest roots interconnect ecologically. In this way, the wellbeing trail enabled a complex affectivity between people as a mirror of the connections in nature along the walk. Autumnal colours were associated to the warmth of the sun, even though the physical sensation of the day was freezing!

As a pilot study, the brief experience of the asylum seekers on the wellbeing trail in Guisborough shows promise for future developments of the wellbeing journal currently in use by Forestry England. It provides hope for a deeper, richer and better understanding of the effects and potential effects of the wellbeing trails on groups of walkers with defined health needs and requirements.

The report therefore recommends further exploration of these methods and a closer collaboration between the researchers and Forestry England staff as a means of enriching the design and experience of the wellbeing trails for service users of all denominations.