Words by Smiley Team
Whether it be tree-planting or supporting pond life, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) has offered all kinds of outdoor volunteering opportunities since its creation in 1959. It’s a collective mission with far-reaching benefits, improving the health of people and the planet.
Dominic Hall, of TCV Scotland, tells Smiley News: “Our work often has a big impact on the local environment and biodiversity. But we’re also getting local communities involved, which has much broader benefits for the volunteers themselves.”
Raising its ambitions for 2022, the organisation aims to plant 5 million trees across the country by 2025.
“It’s really exciting,” says Dominic. “This is a really solid target, and again, I think the thing that’s important about planting trees is not just the positive impact on the environment. It’s also about getting people outdoors, understanding why trees are important and the physical and mental health benefits they get from that.”
[Read about other great initiatives helping people with their mental and physical health]
Over the years, the organisation has increasingly come to understand how outdoor voluntary work can help people care for their wellbeing.
He explains: “There’s a lot more research now about the role green spaces play for communities and obviously, over the last couple of years, that’s been particularly important, it’s been the only place people have been able to go and get exercise and meet other people and stuff.”
In Glasgow, where Dominic works, TCV’s local volunteers run a community garden for mental health patients. Blossoming with flowers in warmer weather, it features a modern summerhouse surrounded by raised beds, which create a tranquil environment in which to heal.
“It’s a really impressive garden with a lovely atmosphere,” says Dominic, “and what’s nice is nobody knows where anyone’s from. There’s a real mixture of local people and others who have been referred. But everyone puts aside these differences and just talks about gardening.”
Another of TCV’s projects centred on health and wellbeing is The Green Gym. This involves productive outdoor exercise such as tree planting, sowing meadows, or creating ponds for wildlife to inhabit.
He adds: “The Green Gym was developed from a simple idea that being physically active is good for your health. Initially, it focused primarily on physical health but it also makes a huge difference mentally because, unlike at the traditional gym, your exercising with other people, not just by yourself.”
Support The Conservation Volunteers by donating via its website.
