Heart Wood Mental Health Charity

Heart Wood Mental Health Charity We offer our a safe space, facilitated by two client-centred counsellors experienced in working therapeutically in a nature setting.

Heart Wood works to improve the mental health of people who are suffering with psychological distress - including those who might be described as experiencing ‘complex and enduring’ poor mental health - through group counselling in a nature setting. We work with a small group size that is manageable to the participants. At the sessions, the participants will check-in, prepare and light the fire, set up the parachute shelter, clear woodland from rhododendron, take part in other bushcraft activities, be part of group time and make group soup. The exact format of these activities alters with each group. No-one is under any pressure to do or talk about anything they don’t want to. Our intention is to create an environment which feels very safe. This often brings people to talk about their difficult experiences and being able to do this in safety is a way in which we can process our distress. We are offering something to people with poor mental health who are not presently able to benefit from activities that existing services offer or from statutory indoor mental health services. Working in a client-centred way in a nature setting can be experienced as easier to engage with. Previous participants have had the following outcomes:
• increased in confidence
• had a reduction in loneliness
• felt ‘valid and worth-while’
• continued connecting with each other beyond the project
• got back into employment
• resolved financial problems
• have engaged again within their local community
• improved relationships with families and friends
• learnt cooking skills resulting in an improved diet
• had an improvement in physical health
• learnt about nature and ecology
• and have continued to engage with the outdoors beyond the project in the knowledge that this helps with their wellbeing. We are currently running:

- two Men’s Groups for men aged around 25+ which run weekly on Fridays between April and August in private woodland near Slaley

- 10 pilot sessions for Hexham Youth Initiative's young people (aged 16 to 25) which run on alternate Thursdays

We are also piloting work with younger men aged 16-24 years.

Kathryn is walking the length of Hadrians Wall throughout July, in memory of her son Stuart. Kathryn has fundraised for ...
18/07/2025

Kathryn is walking the length of Hadrians Wall throughout July, in memory of her son Stuart. Kathryn has fundraised for Heart Wood several times over recent years, she is a true inspiration and we are forever grateful.

The money Kathryn raises will directly support our groups and make a difference to local men throughout Tynedale.

Let’s cheer Kathryn on ever step of the way and if you are able to please sponsor her just giving page. 💚💚

Help Kathryn Sim raise money to support Heart Wood

Thank you to yellow cherry design for designing our bookmarks, they are awesome.
09/06/2025

Thank you to yellow cherry design for designing our bookmarks, they are awesome.

Last month Heart Wood Mental Health Charity asked yellow cherry design to create a series of bookmark designs for a fundraiser . Each bookmark showing a different quote taken from men who benefit from the charity and all it does! Here are just a few!

Do pop by their page and give them a like! and for all your design & printing needs - contact .design 💛

Restaurant Hjem Head Chef Marek is part of our Great North Run team; he will be taking on the worlds biggest half marath...
04/06/2025

Restaurant Hjem Head Chef Marek is part of our Great North Run team; he will be taking on the worlds biggest half marathon in September.

Last month Marek and the team at Hjem held the most wonderful Sunday Lunch raising funds for Heart Wood. We were truly blowen away by the kindness and generosity of Marek the team at Hjem and their suppliers who donated all the ingredients for the most delicious Sunday Lunch. In addition, local businesses and friends of Hjem and Heart Wood came together and provided some amazing prizes for 2 raffles that were held on the day. The final amount raised was £4560, a huge amount which will go a long way in supporting our men’s groups throughout the year. We want to extend our thanks to all those who made this wonderful event happen. We truly are grateful.

Doddington Dairy Hepple Spirits Les Caves de Pyrene UK Freyja Garden Wellocks North Acomb Farm Shop hodgsonfish Keltic Seafare Scotland Ltd The First & Last Brewery, Northumberland Restaurant Mýse House of Tides, Quayside, Newcastle Allendale Brew Co Forum Cinema Hexham Shield Green Nurseries Queen's Hall Arts, Hexham

12/05/2025
Heart Wood are recruiting for a Volunteer Treasurer to join our Trustee Board.Do you have experience of financial manage...
07/05/2025

Heart Wood are recruiting for a Volunteer Treasurer to join our Trustee Board.

Do you have experience of financial management and accounting, especially in the charitable sector?
If so we would love to hear from you.

More information on Heart Wood can be found on our website⬇️
https://www.heartwoodcharity.org/work-with-us

Alternatively feel free to drop us a pm or email us at admin@heartwoodcharity.org

In 3 days time Emma, Rachel and Ian are taking on the muddiest of challenges - The Allendale Challenge. A 26 mile route ...
02/04/2025

In 3 days time Emma, Rachel and Ian are taking on the muddiest of challenges - The Allendale Challenge. A 26 mile route taking in the finest Bogs in the North Pennines.
The intrepid trio are so close to their fundraising target of £750 with all monies raised going to support our men's groups.
If you are able to like and share this post or leave a donation we would be very grateful!

The link to our Justgiving page is below 👇

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/heartwoodallendalechallenge?msockid=2d3f6f63ad4d623208c67b56acb66302

🍃Trustee Vacancies 🍃Would you like to join our team? We would particularly welcome applications from people who have: • ...
19/03/2025

🍃Trustee Vacancies 🍃

Would you like to join our team?

We would particularly welcome applications from people who have:

• Experience of financial management and accounting, especially in the charitable sector.
• Experience in fundraising and grant applications.
• Experience of HR policy and practice.

More information can be found on our website.

https://www.heartwoodcharity.org/work-with-us

Are you a qualified person-centred or humanist therapist wanting to learn more about working therapeutically in nature? ...
16/01/2025

Are you a qualified person-centred or humanist therapist wanting to learn more about working therapeutically in nature?

The Heart Wood CPD Training Course offers 100 hours of CPD in-person, on the ways of being, philosophy, ethics and structures necessary for practitioners wanting to work outside the counselling room.

“A great opportunity to learn from gifted and experienced practitioners. They embody the very principles that they seek to teach.” Bill

Six residential weekends between April and October 2025, at our Heart Wood base in beautiful Northumberland.

Application deadline: Sunday 23 February 2025

Find out more: www.heartwoodcharity.org/trainingcertificate

or call Emma on 07813 814644

“This is unlike any other training I have experienced. There is a wonderful warmth in the Heart Wood Community.” Stephen

The postman brought some good news this morning. We would like to say a huge thank you to The Percy Bilton Charity (www....
11/10/2024

The postman brought some good news this morning.

We would like to say a huge thank you to The Percy Bilton Charity (www.percy-bilton-charity.org) who have awarded us a grant for equipment.

The equipment will be used in our groups. A much needed item we can now purchase thanks to the grant is a winch!

We would like to say a huge Thank you to MKM Building Supplies who recently helped us with an urgent need for Wood Chip....
03/07/2024

We would like to say a huge Thank you to MKM Building Supplies who recently helped us with an urgent need for Wood Chip. We have been able to improve access to one of our sites, which had become rather boggy and slippery due to all the rain.

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Hexham

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