Trust Treks: Connecting People and Nature.
Connecting people with nature is one of our core missions. We believe in the healing power of nature and the role it plays in promoting good mental and physical health.
Every month we host a wellness walk in the North York Moors National Park and surrounding areas for people from local communities and we provide material support, from transport costs to walking boots, because we believe in equitable access to nature and our beautiful natural landscapes.
Connecting with nature is proven to promote good mental and physical health, wellbeing, and development.
Nature connection is a positive, proactive, and cost-effective response to tackling and reversing declining health and life outcomes.
As little as twenty minutes spent immersed in nature, from a National Park to your backyard, is proven to significantly reduce stress and anxiety (cortisol) and increase feel-good superhero hormones (endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine) that make us feel calm, spark creativity, improve communication, and boost concentration.
Inspired by the ancient Japanese ritual for relaxation - Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing - we host wellness walks in and around the North York Moors National Park.
We organise and host introductory walks, taking time to appreciate the small things in our surroundings - the sound of wind whistling through the trees, the trickle of a nearby stream, birdsong, the smell of the forest on a warm summers day, clouds rolling across the landscape, and sunlight dancing through woodland canopy.
There are many barriers preventing people connecting with nature or spending quality time in our national parks, from cost-of-living and confidence to transport. So we also provide material support, from transport costs to walking boots, to ensure everyone has equitable access to enjoy and benefit from nature and our natural landscapes.
We collaborate with local groups and organisations to support people who would benefit from a guided walk, helping to build confidence in nature, boost nature-connectedness and health and wellbeing, and promote pro-environmental behaviours.
Sadly, suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK and three quarters of deaths from suicides each year are men - and the static are even more stark in the North East and Yorkshire. Traditional stereotypes and stigma still exist and exacerbate the crisis in male mental health. As a result, men are far less likely than women to seek professional support or confide in friends and family.
As a result, our current focus is on men who have or are currently accessing mental health support or services on Teesside.
We believe connecting with nature has a vital role to play in combating this crisis and supporting men to cope, recover, and thrive.
The first Trust Trek took place in October 2023, guiding members from Teesside-based Andy’s Man Clubs, a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom.
In 2024 we received funding from the Tees Valley Community Foundation, You’ve Got This, Everyone Active, and the Alpkit Foundation to maintain Trust Treks and ensure we can continue to provide this free offer (and we have plans for a women’s group too) to those whose health benefits greatly from this service.
Following the end of the project’s pilot phase, in October 2024 we published a report and case study highlighting the positive impact nature has had on the physical and mental health of participants.
Trust Trek x Andy’s Man Club - River Tees - September 2024
Trust Trek x Andy’s Man Club - Kildale - August 2024
Trust Trek x Andy’s Man Club - Highcliffe Nab - July 2024
Trust Trek x Andy’s Man Club - Guisborough Forest - April 2024
Trust Trek x Andy’s Man Club - Kildale - October 2023
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