Campfire Cymru works with children, families and community groups through sustainable outdoor activities. Their project, ‘Forest Families Parents and Carers’, provides a mix of activities taking place in Denbighshire and Flintshire. The project supports families with disabilities, including neurodivergent families and those with mental health concerns, via a range of outdoor wellbeing and peer support sessions.
As soon as I get to the fire pit I feel instantly lighter. I really feel it’s enabled me to make friends and be part of a community that just gets it.
So far, Campfire Cymru has run 32 friendly peer support sessions around the campfire for parents and carers, and 18 Forest Family sessions. Parents and carers have been able to come together, to talk and receive some much needed support. Families have been able to spend time together in the woods, making memories and friends, and building skills and resilience.
"These sessions were amazing and both myself and son enjoyed it so much, I have even started forest school training myself! It was such a big help with my family doing the sessions, my son could be himself, we felt involved and looked after. It helped my son to feel calm and he absolutely loved trying new skills especially the fire lighting. Hopefully we can do these sessions again, they were very much appreciated, thank you!", Susan*, parent carer.
Parents have time for self-care in beautiful outdoor spaces, take part in campfire cooking and benefit from peer support. They are able to take part in mindful activities such as craft, gardening, hammock-time, storytelling and singing. Families benefit from child-led play in the woods, bushcraft, den-building, nature exploration, climbing, campfire cooking and making friends.
“Halkyn castle woods is such a special place. As soon as I get to the fire pit I feel instantly lighter. I really feel it’s enabled me to make friends and be part of a community that just gets it. The sessions are refreshing. I loved the meditation in the meadow. It was one of my favourite things to do. Nothing would make me happier than hearing these sessions would always continue.” Lowri*, parent carer.
My mental health has greatly improved, medication has been reduced. Home life and relationships have greatly improved
So far the ‘Forest Families Parents and Carers’ project has directly helped 96 carers and 41 people in receipt of care.
“My mental health has greatly improved, medication has been reduced. Home life and relationships have greatly improved. I have learnt skills and coping techniques for everyday life. I've made friends for life at the sessions, where most of them feel like family now. I look forward to the sessions every week and no matter how my week has gone I know I have these sessions to look forward to. Keep up the fantastic work.” Sam*, parent carer
Campfire Cymru tells us more about one of their families benefiting from the project.
“One of the families who have participated in the project have three children, all under the age of 8 and all with complex needs. One child has speech and language difficulties, hyperactivity and impulsiveness and is under responsive to most sensory stimuli. He has a poorly developed sense of danger so the parents are often in a heightened state of risk awareness. All three children are homeschooled due to lack of suitable support in school.
“The family were finding it hard to get out and about due to the nature of the children’s multiple complex needs. Mum and Dad have found that they are unable to take all of the children out at once as they usually have to take turns to go out with each child or go out with smaller numbers of children. Trips out had become stressful and exhausting.
“Mum wanted to meet other parents in similar situations to share knowledge and experiences. She wanted to see the children develop their confidence, sensory, physical, emotional and communication skills, and meet and play with other children."
“We provided a programme of six two-hour forest school sessions in Denbighshire. Sessions were child-led and the children were able to explore and play in an outdoor environment, participate in games and creative activities, enjoy campfire cooking and just take time to have fun.
“Due to our high staff to participant ratios, the parents were able to relax while we engaged with the children, creating art, playing with toys and reading stories. We provided a safe place for all the family, to talk with the parents and listen to their issues. The parents told us that attending forest school was the first time they had taken the three children out at once for a long time.”
Thank you so much for these sessions, it’s been wonderful having other like-minded parents in similar situations to talk to. It’s meant a lot to us to be able to come, get the kids outside and have a bit of time to chat and relax.
Sara*, mother, parent carer
Campfire Cymru is now planning two weekend camps with families later in 2024 with a menu of activities to build on friendships made in the woods.
*Names are changed to protect privacy