Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022-2023 - Flipbook - Page 9
in some of the most nature deprived
communities around the UK.
Children were given access to a range
of activities from bug hunting to den
building and pond dipping, from
campfire cooking to bird spotting, and
from lantern making to planting seeds
and taking part in outdoor games and
nature-based crafts. Throughout the
year we ran 52 Wild Days Out events
supporting around 1,500 children.
Giving children access to nature
with Wild Days Out
At TCV, we know the importance
of inspiring the next generation
to care about the environment,
to understand the importance of
biodiversity and to get excited about
wildlife and nature. Using this as
our aim, we created a fundraising
campaign to give the general public
a chance to support our projects
with children. This comes as part of a
refreshed income generation strategy
to help TCV successfully thrive in an
ever-changing environment.
Many children do not get a chance
to explore and play outdoors and
therefore miss out on building a
connection to nature. Research
shows that children living in urban,
built-up areas and from lower
income families do not have access
to safe, green spaces in their
neighbourhoods, and miss out on the
chance to get mucky, go bug hunting
and pond dipping. With the Wild
Days Out campaign we generated an
opportunity for children growing up
“Many children that come on a
Wild Day Out have never been to a
woodland before and are scared as
they expect to find bears in there.”
Chris, Education Project Officer,
TCV Skelton Grange
“It is common for children to be
scared of mud and sitting down
on the floor in the morning, but
by the end of the day, they feel
much more at home outdoors, and
it’s great to have helped with this
process.” Sophie, Volunteer,
TCV Skelton Grange
We’re grateful to players of People’s
Postcode Lottery for supporting
our work in this area, allowing us to
connect more people to green spaces.
Green Gym as a welcoming space for refugees
Building Communities Resource
Centre in Ballymoney, Northern
Ireland assists people from
Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic
communities throughout the
Causeway Coast and Glen’s borough
through the provision of services,
including language classes, dropin services, safe space and shared
housing support.
Funded by the Public Health Agency,
we started a Green Gym pilot as
a new outdoor offer to centre
members. TCV’s Green Gyms are
practical volunteering sessions
offered across the UK to transform
local green spaces and support
volunteers’ health. An 8-week
programme was tailored with input
from members with the focus of
establishing a growing garden on
a neglected piece of land to the
rear of the centre. TCV provided
the tools, materials and PPE, as
well as woodwork and horticulture
expertise. Seven volunteers signed
up to the pilot, all of whom were
Syrian refugees who have been in
Northern Ireland for approximately
four years. The team did not know
each other before volunteering on
this pilot but were quick to create
strong relationships maintained to
this day.
This crucial project had some vital
impacts on both the people involved
and the community. Giving the
members of the resource centre a
much-needed outdoor space worked
wonders for both their mental and
physical health, whilst giving them an
outlet to use their skills and to grow
plants to remind them of home.
Working alongside TCV, the
volunteers were able to practise their
language skills in a relaxed setting
where they built their confidence
to have conversations whilst being
focused on practical activities. Each
Green Gym session concluded with
the volunteers enjoying a coffee and
chat on site, reviewing their work,
and planning next steps. This gave
them a full sense of ownership and
belonging.
“This project has been a breath of
fresh air to me. I spend much of
my time alone, indoors and with
little money to do things. Being
in the garden working with TCV, I
have been able to relax with others
and bring my skills to help on this
wonderful project.” Project volunteer
TCV Annual Report and Financial Statements 2022-239
