FORGING friendships, learning to ride a bicycle, and connecting with nature is the way forward for a local community group which has been meeting at the Great Wood in the Quantock Hills.

Thanks to Forestry England and Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme (QLPS), the ‘AfriQuan’ group, whose members live in towns surrounding the Quantock Hills, have benefitted from monthly wellbeing meet ups at Great Wood, near Bridgwater.

They were also joined by some refugees living nearby in hotels. Most of the group’s members originate from Africa and work for the NHS in the mental health sector.

The series of events which have been held over the last six months has been primarily funded by Forestry England’s ‘Feel Good in The Forest’ programme. The programme aims to help people to be more active, boost wellbeing, and explore nature.

Other organisations which have supported the project are Equi-Librium Coaching and Therapy, Forest Catkins, On Your Bike, and Exmoor Adventures.

Community Ranger for Forestry England, Tara Maxamed said: “It’s been wonderful to see the group enjoy the benefits of being outdoors while bonding with one another. Participants have had the time and space to just be themselves, decompress outside of the pressures of life where they may be feeling under pressure and isolated.

“It was particularly heartwarming to see a friendship forge between two ladies – one from Eritrea and the other from Kurdistan – who communicated in Arabic as a shared second language. The programme has benefitted people of all ages, from a teenager enjoying cycling in the hills to an adult learning to ride a bike for the first time.

“The group is now talking about forming their own community interest company to raise funds to continue such activities and spend time with one another creating a positive life here in the UK.”

For more information on the Feel Good in the Forest programme, visit: www.forestryengland.uk/feel-good-in-the-forest

Forestry England manages and cares for 1,500 woods and forests, with over 285 million visits in 2023/24. As England’s largest land manager, it helps to shape landscapes and enhance forests for people to enjoy, wildlife to flourish and businesses to grow.