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Woodland wellbeing sessions set to come to Gordon Castle


By Ewan Malcolm

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A NEW programme of woodland wellbeing sessions are set to begin for adults at Gordon Castle next week.

Claire Buchanan (right) and Sandra McKinnon (left) have set up the sessions to give people a chance to "slow down" as Christmas approaches.
Claire Buchanan (right) and Sandra McKinnon (left) have set up the sessions to give people a chance to "slow down" as Christmas approaches.

The sessions are aiming to promote mental health by encouraging people to connect with nature to take a moment to slow down.

Claire Buchanan, who is organising the sessions alongside Sandra McKinnon, said: "It's all about helping people slow down. We want people to take a moment to observe the nature around them.

"It's aimed at adults. It's really for anyone who wants to come along and experience a bit of nature and connect with like minded folk. The theme of the sessions is nature really.

"I think this time of year people can feel like we are speeding towards Christmas and for many people they maybe just need to take that step back. It's giving them the gift of time really - a chance to relax."

The sessions are set to run every Thursday from 10am until 12pm starting on November 18 and finishing on December 16.

Claire and Sandra will also take participants through various outdoor activities during the sessions. That includes making pancakes with elderberry syrup over a fire to stave off the cold autumn conditions. They will also be shown how to forage, create natural art and make their very own mandala paintings.

Each session will cost £10 but Claire hopes that if the initial sessions go well, future programmes may be run free of charge.

"This is a bit of a trial I suppose," Claire said.

"Depending on how this goes we may be able to apply for funding to eventually run the sessions for free.

"It's a new venture for us and this is a chance to join a new experience. We've been planning this for a number of weeks now and we're just excited to get going. We'll be looking for feedback so we can adapt and adjust them so we can make the sessions much better for the future as well.

There are currently only six slots available for each session. People who are interested but can't make all five sessions are still encouraged to get in touch by contacting Claire on 07931228444.


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