Community activities
We regularly run free community courses focusing on the themes of Growing Your Own Herbs, Herbal Remedies and Nature Connection. These courses are normally 6 weeks long. Below you will find information about our ongoing weekly community activities and also details of any upcoming courses.
Nature Club
Every Wednesday, 11am-1.30pm
A weekly session bringing people and nature together in a welcoming, supportive, social and safe place. The sessions will focus on spending time with others in nature and takes place at our garden in Hackney Wick as well as exploring local green spaces in and around Hackney Marshes.
The club is for people living or working in Hackney who are looking to:
Spend time in nature with other people and build confidence
Boost their mood and support your mental health and wellbeing
Connect with other local people and be part of a supportive community group
Activities will include:
Plant, tree and herb identification
Foraging and wild cooking
Nature meditation and tea tasting
Litter picking
Natural crafts and land art
Campfires and storytelling
Registration details:
As spaces are limited, the club will is only open to people who live and/or work in Hackney.
Before you come to a session you must register here. If you are making a referral you can complete the registration form for someone else. Once registered, you will be sent all the dates and locations for the sessions.
** Update 27th March 2024 **
We have recently had a significant increase in new referrals for Nature club, which has also coincided with an increase in our current Nature club members showing up much more regularly to sessions. This is a brilliant sign that Nature club is both well received and in demand but it means that we are having to take a pause from accepting new referrals so that we can consider the groups current and future capacity.
We know that this may not be the best news if you were keen to join us but we hope the pause will help us to create more space to welcome you in the not too distant future. In the meantime you might also be interested in checking our garden volunteering and our monthly free community events.
If you are a referrer / supporting someone you would like to refer please email Nat so we can keep you up to date of other community activities.
Garden Volunteering
We run gardening volunteering sessions at our garden in Hackney Wick. Find out more by clicking on the button below.
A flyer for the volunteer session can be downloaded by clicking on the image below.
Previous Community Courses
Nature Connection with Amy
Hosted on Zoom with the Centre for Better Health. 6 weeks beginning on Wednesday 21st April, 10.30am-12pm.
This course is open to City & Hackney Wellbeing Network members. To join the network and enrol please contact chwellbeingnetwork@centreforbetterhealth.org.uk
Herbal Craft Online Community Course
Hosted with the Centre for Better Health
6 weeks from Monday 2nd November - Monday 7th December, 1pm - 2.30pm
An introductory course to learn how to use herbs to support your health and wellbeing.
Unearth the history, properties and uses of herbs and learn how to make use of them for mind, body and home.
Themes include:
Making your own herbal tea
Using herbs for skincare
Supporting health with seasonal herbs
Herbs for self care and relaxation
You will receive a kit of materials as part of the course so that you can make your own remedies at home as part of the course.
To enrol please contact The Centre for Better Health chwellbeingnetwork@centreforbetterhealth.org.uk
Online Nature Connection Community Course
Wednesdays 9th September - 14th October 2020, 11-1pm.
6-week course // Hosted on Zoom
Do you love nature but have spent a lot of time indoors during lockdown? Would you like to find a way to explore local plants and wildlife in a safe and supported way? Would you like to learn techniques to connect with nature that also benefit your mental health and wellbeing? This is a FREE 6-week online course to discover what it means to connect with nature in an open and explorative way, and to practice using nature to support mental health and wellbeing.
This course aims to support HACKNEY residents who have been self-isolating during the pandemic and want to get out into nature and the community in a safe and guided way. It also aims to reach residents who have been exploring using nature to support their mental health during Covid.
During the course, we will explore what it means to let nature be our teacher, and discover how to connect with nature through our sense of taste, touch, smell, sight and sound. We will practice trusting the experience we have of the outdoors, shifting our focus away from learning about nature, to what it feels like to be in nature. We will look at the barriers to feeling safe in nature and how an awareness of nature can ripple out and benefit our mental and physical health too.
Course Structure
The course will be a series of weekly zoom calls, worksheets and activities. You will be asked to walk to a local green space once a week, whether that’s a nearby park, common or your back garden, and given a simple nature-based activity to practice. We will then have a weekly meeting on zoom, with a small group of people, to share experiences, stories, drink tea and learn together.
If you don’t feel safe going out into nature alone, this is a great course to do with a local friend, family member, neighbour or colleague. You can meet in your local green space once a week to do the activity together, and then join the zoom call on Wednesdays from your own home (if you don’t live together). This is a lovely opportunity to get to know or help out a local neighbour or spend some time with a friend you haven’t seen in a while.
If you would like to do this course with someone you will need to register separately, so please get them to sign up on the website too.
This is a wonderful opportunity to spend some time outdoors especially if you have been isolating or exploring alternative ways to support your mental/physical health; to reconnect with local plants, wildlife and people; and to feel supported as part of a group going on a nature journey together.
Priority will be given to referrals made from Hackney organisations, people who have been self-isolating due to their health or shielding in relation to Covid-19.
Click here to make a referral or register your interest.
Please register your interest by 17th August. Spaces are limited and we will let you know if you have a place by 21st August 2020.
Grow Your Own Herbs Online Community Course - Spring 2020
6-week course // Hosted on Zoom
Wednesday 24th June - 29th July // 11am - 1pm
A free online course for Hackney residents that will show you how to grow, harvest and process your own herbs, whether you have a garden, balcony or just a windowsill.
The course will cover:
How to grow herbs from scratch
Understanding plant life cycles
The growing and harvesting calendar
Seasonal tips on how to keep your plants healthy throughout the year
How to harvest, process and store herbs
Urban gardening and creative use of small spaces
To find out more and refer someone to the course please email us.
Priority will be given to referrals made from Hackney organisations and people who are self-isolating (not leaving the house) due to their health or shielding in relation to Covid-19.