*FULLY BOOKED* Green Gym: Longlands Lake session 2 (booking required)

25th May 2021

** This event is now fully booked. If you’re booked and can no longer attend, please do let us know so we can let someone else have your place. **

Green Gyms are outdoor days or courses designed to be beneficial to both physical and mental health.

Activities vary, but will always involve time outdoors, helping with conservation work, learning new things, and getting to know other people in the group. There’ll be some physical work, but it won’t feel like a gym workout! We aim to make it relaxed and enjoyable, with a focus on improving individual wellbeing and benefiting the environment.

What’s involved?

The days will take place at Longlands Lake, Cleator, where West Cumbria Rivers Trust is already doing lots of conservation work.

The days will mostly involve ‘Balsam Bashing’, a really satisfying conservation activity where we pull out and manage the Himalayan Balsam plants in the area. These plants are ‘invasive non-native’ species, which outcompete lots of other native plants that we want to grow, choking our rivers and eroding the riverbanks. We will also have time to explore the beautiful area around the lake, spend time enjoying the outdoors and learning about the area.

The course runs for three weeks (1 day per week) and this is the second session. Ideally we’re looking for people who can attend all three days. If you missed the first one, have a chat with Esther on esther@westcumbriariverstrust.org to find out if spaces are still available for the rest of the course.

Remaining dates are:

Who is this course suitable for?

This course is for adults who would like to spend some time outdoors doing conservation and nature-based activities.

We welcome people who feel they need some more physical activity, who are struggling with mild anxiety, mild depression, loneliness or isolation issues, or would simply like some regular days outdoors to look forward to.

The days will involve some manual work (for example, using a spade to dig holes for tree saplings, kneeling on the ground, carrying some equipment, walking through fields and woodland), but the loads can be shared and we will aim to help anyone that may not be able to do as much physical work as others.

What you need to bring

These days will be outdoors. Please check the weather forecast and wear suitable clothing. The ground may be muddy.

Please bring:

Wear old clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty, or have a look in charity shops.

We provide tools and work gloves, but please do bring your own work/gardening gloves if you own some.

Facilities

There are no toilet facilities on site, but staff can advise and help find a quiet, private spot for a wild loo break!

Timings and where to meet

Meet at 10.00am at:

Longlands Lake
Cleator
CA23 3AD

We aim to finish at around 3.30pm.

Group size

The maximum group size is 6.

How to book

Places must be booked in advance:

You can also sign up by calling Esther on 07999 366034. You’ll need to give your name, contact details, and any relevant medical information that will help us to look after your safety each day.

Once you have signed up, Esther will get in touch to let you know that we are expecting you and answer any questions. She’ll also send you a message the week before to check you know where to meet us and what kit to bring etc.

If you can no longer attend, please contact Esther to cancel your place on esther@westcumbriariverstrust.org, so that we can offer your place to someone else.

Covid-19 requirements

Government guidelines change regularly at the moment, which makes it very hard to plan ahead! We will be doing everything we can to help these courses run, but if there are further lockdowns or tighter restrictions then we may have to cancel days at the last minute. If this is the case, then WCRT staff will contact you as soon as possible to let you know.

We’ll chat through managing Covid risks on the day, but here is a brief summary:

If you display virus symptoms during the 14 days prior to the event you will be unable to attend.