Walk on Bradgers Hill, Noreen Iqbal
World Mental Health Day - Luton
In support of World Mental Health Day, 10th October, The Wildlife Trust BCN organised a lovely well-being walk with staff from Total Wellbeing Luton and members of the public. We started at the top of Stopsley Common where we first took a moment to stop, close our eyes and feel the warm sun bathing our faces as we concentrated on our breathing.
Photo credit: Noreen Iqbal
We continued our walk through Hay Wood, where we stopped to appreciate and learn more about the moss and lichen that adorn this ancient woodland, before heading out across the common. Here we decided to take some photos, being blessed with such lovely weather and amazing clear blues skies. We walked to the end of the paddock area to see the horses, which made us all smile. It is often these little moments we need to remember to help keep us happy.
We then made our way down to the main meadow of Bradgers Hill where we took in the expansive views of Luton and talked about the Bradgers Hill Wilder Futures Project:
Bradgers Hill Wilder Futures | Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs & Northants (wildlifebcn.org)
Bradgers Hill offers a great view across the town and this really helps give a very different perspective of what many see as a built up urban environment. You are able to see the amount of green space that does still exist and the many trees that seem to tower above most buildings.
We headed back up the hill after viewing the chalk pit and historic lynchetts before returning to the new area of Hay Wood. The recently planted trees sparked a discussion around the current climate we are experiencing, and there was interest from the walkers in hearing our plans to plant more trees in this area with young volunteers over the coming winter season.
Houghton Hall Park Wellness Walk
On the 15th October, WTBCN ran another well-being walk at Houghton Hall Park, Houghton Regis thanks to some funding from Central Bedfordshire Council’s Active Outdoors Programme. Five people were able to enjoy the beautiful surroundings on offer in this central park and even collected some signs of autumn to create some nature art. Feedback from the walk included feeling more connected with their local green spaces, raised awareness of their surroundings and calmness.
We wanted to show with these walks that no specialist equipment is needed, and that the benefits are immense. Taking a regular walk not only helps with our physical health but also our mental health. There are so many green spaces available in Luton and some amazing nature reserves throughout Bedfordshire to explore, so in these challenging times, please do take the time to explore your local area, discover your inner calm. We will be running other well-being walks on the 7th and 8th January in Luton and Ampthill so please do take a look at our Facebook page and Wilder Futures Page for more details.
Wildlife Trust in Bedfordshire | Facebook
