Life Skills Outdoor Activities

‘Yesterday I was in Bristol sleeping on the streets. Everything was so ugly all around me.  It’s hard to believe that in 24 hours I was in a place so beautiful.’

Genesis client referring to a walk at Dyrham Park

We’ve had a glorious spring and summer. I’m sure many of you have taken advantage of the great weather and have spent more time outdoors. Many of us don’t realise or take for granted the health benefits associated with spending time outside.

At Genesis Trust, we actively encourage our clients to participate in various outdoor activities offered over the warmer months. Many of our clients are vulnerable, effected by loneliness or isolation and limited by budget or health issues.

Studies have shown that spending time outdoors whether it be walking, cycling or gardening has lots of positive health benefits. It’s a natural anti-depressant, reducing stress, supporting our physical and mental health and helping us meet new people. These are all very real issues for our clients.

At our Life Skills project we provide a range of courses and activities that support people on their journey. Many of the activities are practical in nature, some are creative and we try to incorporate as many outdoor activities as possible. Alongside the skills learned, the activities also facilitate social participation where our clients can build friendships and improve their social skills.

Below are the outdoor activities we offered our clients this spring and summer. We have seen a large increase in our Lifeline clients joining a Life Skills course this summer. 

Sue Fourie, Genesis Life Projects Manager says,

“Life Skills groups such as the walking groups serve as significant opportunities for our newer clients to engage with us. The sessions often help break down barriers and create opportunities for deeper and more effective engagement with clients.”

Walking Group

This year Genesis has formed a relationship with the National Trust. This allowed us to take several of our clients on two very special walks at Prior Park Landscape Garden and Dyrham Park led by our much-loved, former staff member, Paul Solly. You can read his story here.

I was able to attend the Dyrham Park walk. We planned for about eight clients to attend but we had 14 in the end, many of whom were attending Life Skill activities for the first time. It was a glorious day and I could tangibly see the fun and joy that our clients were experiencing.

Therapeutic Gardening

Another partnership we have is with Grow for Life. They are a local charity providing social and therapeutic gardening sessions for people affected by low confidence, anxiety, depression or isolation. Every spring and summer our clients can attend their gardening course in their walled garden and apple orchard in Newton St Loe.

By joining a Grow for Life six-week course, our clients are given the opportunity to get out of the city and enjoy the peace and quiet of growing food in a beautiful, rural setting. They learn new skills in tending to and nurturing vegetables and flowers. Our clients even get to enjoy the fruit of their labour by taking home some of the vegetables grown in the garden.

I have attended many of the Grow for Life gardening sessions. It’s much more than just learning about gardening. The social interaction and fun that our clients have creates real connection over shared tasks and time together.

‘I enjoy the good company and being out in the fresh air. I love the walled garden.’

Genesis Client

‘Being outside and doing some gardening has given me the ability to analyse myself and work through my problems.’

Genesis Client

Bath Boules

This summer our Life Skills clients have once again enjoyed taking part in the weekly Bath League de Pétanque and the Bath Boules event in July. The League games are every Tuesday, and our clients also meet on Saturday morning with volunteer Nick Crook to practice at Queen’s Square. It is so popular that we now have two teams competing.

The Bath Boules tournament in July is a wonderful event at Queen’s Square. Teams play boules all day from other charities, businesses and local organisations. Everyone enjoys the occasion which is competitive but fun.

 The regular practice from the League games paid off at the Bath Boules this year. The teams played very well indeed, and we were delighted that Team Genesis Trust (Eddy, James, Simon and Danny) got through to the quarter finals. And Team Genesis Life Projects (Sarah, Olivia, Katherine, Nessa and David) reached the semi-finals. In 2024, Team Genesis Life Projects made it to the quarter finals and Team Genesis Trust to the semi-finals! So next year we hope to set the target for both teams to be in the final.

 But it’s more than just the boules. Our clients and volunteers have become a committed, supportive friendship group. Not only do they get together for the games, practices and competitions but also for social meet ups. This outdoor activity is helping their physical and mental wellbeing and creating a social network of support we all need to thrive.

 Cycling

We also have a partnership with All Cycle Bath & West, a local and accessible cycling charity, promoting inclusive cycling for all ages and abilities. For several years, we have gathered at Odd Down Sports Ground. Just last week we met there for a picnic and then a few hours of riding together.

All Cycle Bath & West have an extensive range of adapted bikes, trikes, tandem trikes and hand-cycles. No matter what the person’s ability, there is a bike for them. It’s a wonderful day of being outdoors, socialising and getting serious exercise. I’ve cycled as well using their exciting variety of bikes and it can be a healthy challenge to make your way around the entire track.

Our summer activities tick all the right boxes for supporting our clients towards better wellbeing. The five ways to wellbeing are: connect with others, physical activity, take notice and savour the moment, learn new things and give back to your community.

Thank you for reading and being part of these stories. We can run these summer activities because of your support and that of our wonderful volunteers. Thanks also goes to the partners mentioned above, providing great opportunities for our clients.