Current Work

THERAPI

Eleven projects were delivered within the THERAPI umbrella between 2002-5, covering a range of initiatives: some were activity based whilst others had a community development focus, each supported by the belief in an integrated holistic approach to improving peoples’ physical and mental health.

CASE STUDIES

Community, Health and Nature programmes

•  A community park: Working with a community group on the Mardyke estate in South  Hornchurch, Therapi provided support for an extensive community consultation, asking how locals would like to see their immediate surroundings improved. They voted for a park and we set about helping them do it and raise £200,000 to pay for it.

• A green summer playscheme: On the same estate Therapi, the local PCT and Havering sports department helped another group, of locals based at the primary school, to run a summer play scheme for two years. The children were offered a range of activities. They created a wildlife and vegetable garden, worked with artists and musicians, ate free healthy food at lunch and played sports games.

• The Plot On a housing estate in Romford: Therapi hired Studio3Arts, a respected community arts company, to work with local children and adults over a year on the themes of the four seasons and four elements of earth, air, fire and water. They hired a garden allotment and used the land and growing things as a focus for a range of environmental art.

• Therapeutic gardens: LIFT work with the NHS to build new health centres in the Havering and Barking & Dagenham area. We hired Jennifer Lauruol of Carpe Diem, a specialist landscape design company, and asked her to create two therapeutic gardens and supervise the design of six other grounds. The gardens have been planted out at no extra cost, are created to high sustainable standards and are of great benefit to wildlife and as well as people.

Improving Individual Well Being programmes

• Fit n’ Green is a health programme similar to Green Gym. Green Gym involves, after warm up stretching, a couple of hours of light  conservation work supervised by a trained leader. This has been a great success with many patient groups and there is research evidence carried out at Brighton & Hove PCT by Oxford Brookes University, that Green Gym is very beneficial in providing regular physical exercise. It is better for the heart than step aerobics, has longer commitment rates that indoor gyms and has additional benefits by improving self esteem, lifting depression and providing socialising opportunities. There are obvious applications of Green Gym to a range of chronic conditions such as cardiac rehabilitation, type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression and stress.

• Walking in Nature: Moderate exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease by 60%; more strenuous effort only has a marginal benefit. The main challenge is encouraging people to maintain commitment on a  regular basis; indoor gyms have a high drop out rate. Two projects were devised by Dr William Bird, a GP at Sonning Common Health Centre, to address the solution of mild physical exercise in a green environment. He encouraged his patients to walk in the countryside regularly and to take up voluntary conservation work. Walking for Health has now become a national initiative. Research evidence has accumulated which underscores Dr Bird's local successes.

• Therapi has funded the production and printing of a map pack of short walks in local parks for people in the Barking and Dagenham area and a  comprehensive Out and About map pack of all the sites in Thames Chase Community Forest, with advice on walking, cycling and horse riding. These are obtainable from the Forest Centre. Thames Chase will continue to promote access to its sites. We also offer guided walks for health in woodland countryside. These are lead by someone who adds interest to the exercise activity by pointing out seasonal wildlife interest.

• Ecotherapy is the use of guided experiences in Nature to increase a person's sense of well being. Therapi has plans to expand the range of ecotherapy activities for both the severely mentally ill and mild to medium condition mental health users. Click here to download What is Ecotherapy which provides more detail.

• Stress Reduction through Countryside Activities: The first step for many people in taking responsibility for their own health and enjoying regular walks in the countryside is the removal of many of the barriers to
  getting pleasure from being outdoors in nature. Thames Chase Community Forest has 40 sites with public access where it is possible to see an amazing variety of plants, birds and animals in relaxing surroundings. We are offering opportunities to inspire and educate people on how to appreciate our natural heritage while they go for walks. Therapi has run a series of programmes for ex-hospital mental health users over the past two years with very positive results. To get more details about this project, download Getting to Know the Countryside by clicking here.

• A research project was commissioned to look at local peoples relationship to the green spaces of Thames Chase. A summary report is available from the Thames Chase office.

Review of Research into Green Health

The key highlights from a comprehensive review of research into the relationship between people's health and well being and the green environment in 2006 can be downloaded by clicking here.