The healing power of nature

16 Feb 2010 11:44 AM

A practical conservation scheme which helps substance misusers rebuild their lives by working in the natural environment has won the prestigious Phoenix Futures New Year’s Honours ‘Partnership’ Award.

Phoenix Futures is a leading provider of services for people with drug and alcohol problems and since 2001 have operated the innovative Phoenix Futures Conservation Therapy Programme in partnership with Natural England. The Programme is focused on specially run conservation and biodiversity projects on various Natural England National Nature Reserves and contributes to the therapeutic rehabilitation of individuals with substance misuse problems. It will be featured in a BBC Lifeline programme with Julia Bradbury, due to be broadcast on 21st February 2010.

On a regular basis, groups of service users from Phoenix Futures' residential or community services travel to National Nature Reserves to undertake a variety of essential, high standard, conservation work. This work, supervised by professionals, incorporates a wide range of projects, including woodland management, boundary construction and footpath repairs.

Teamworking in 'the outdoors' can be a powerful therapeutic environment, which benefits people going through rehabilitation by building self esteem and confidence. The benefits for the environment are significant too. In the Derbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve, for example, workers from the Conservation Therapy Programme have improved access for visitors to the Reserve, constructed two ponds, helped re-create 4.5 hectares of meadow, built over 600m of drystone walls and erected 2.5 km of fencing.

Ben Le Bas, Natural England’s Coordinator of Natural Nature Reserves, said “From a National Nature Reserves perspective, the Conservation Therapy Programme has delivered a vast amount of good quality habitat and infrastructure management over the years. We would like to thank all those involved with Phoenix Futures for their dedication, professionalism and hard work.”

Chief Executive of Phoenix Futures, Karen Biggs, said: “Our Conservation Therapy Programme provides therapeutic value to our service users, as well as real benefits to local communities and the environment. We are delighted to work in a partnership that brings together the skills of two organisations to deliver what we couldn’t do on our own.”

Notes to Editors:

About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent advisor on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.

• We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.

• We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.

• We run England’s Environmental Stewardship green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.

• We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.

• We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.

National Nature Reserves

There are 224 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in England, comprising many of the country's finest wildlife and geological sites. As well as protecting their natural features, NNRs are places where people can get involved with nature conservation. There are a number of projects across our NNRs that have a particular health focus, such as our partnership with Phoenix Futures.

Phoenix Futures

Phoenix Futures is a leading provider of services for people with drug and alcohol problems. We offer services within community, prison and residential settings in England and Scotland. Through our expertise we are able to support our service users at every stage of their recovery.

At Phoenix Futures, we take pride in our ability to work with individuals from the street through to resettlement. Our skilled staff provide effective and innovative interventions which enable our service users to address their problematic substance misuse.

We believe that our service users are individuals and that the recovery process for each person is different. Drug and alcohol problems are only part of the challenge for our service users. We run several unique personal development programmes to complement our core services, which help our service users gain skills, confidence, motivation, and employment.

Phoenix Futures Conservation Therapy Programme participants provide over 12,000 hours of practical conservation work per year, playing a vital role in helping conservation and biodiversity work nationwide.

Phoenix Futures Conservation Therapy Programme is the subject of a BBC Lifeline programme, with Julia Bradbury, due to be broadcast on 21st February.

Phoenix Futures and Natural England

Since 2001, Phoenix Futures has run the unique and innovative Conservation Therapy Programme in conjunction with Natural England on the following National Nature Reserves:

• Natural England’s Derbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve (NNR) in the Peak District National Park, in conjunction with Phoenix Futures Sheffield Residential Service. This was the first partnership location.

• Natural England’s Castle Eden Dene NNR near Peterlee, County Durham, in conjunction with Phoenix Futures Tyneside Residential Service. This programme has also worked on the Lindisfarne NNR.

• Natural England’s Kingley Vale NNR on the South Downs, in conjunction with Phoenix Futures Alpha Residential Service. This programme also works in partnership with the Sustainability Centre in East Meon, near Petersfield, Hampshire.

• A new project has started up at Humberhead Peatlands NNR, near Doncaster.

The Phoenix Futures New Year Honours ceremony was held at London City Hall on 27 January. Dave Mercer, a Natural England Reserve Manager and Jon Hall, Phoenix Futures’ Commissioning and Development Manager, accepted the Partnership Award on behalf of the partnership from the Chairman of the Phoenix Futures Board, Dick Holland.

Case Studies from Phoenix Futures

Adrian M: “My life has been on self destruct for at least ten years, I put all my efforts into harmful things for my body and mind. From a dark place where I thought I was trapped and must admit I became comfortable with and was willing to be that way for the rest of my days. My way of thinking finally changed which led to Phoenix Futures. Ecology has just been a breath of fresh air to rekindle what I once had and can have again, only much improved. Not only does it give me what I need physically but mentally it is very therapeutic and is, and will, help my recovery.”

Annette B: “My life had become so chaotic due to my drugs and I had lost all touch with any life skills I had. I did also over the years become unemployable which made me isolate myself. Since coming to Phoenix Futures and attending ecology I have built up confidence in all areas of my life like my self belief, teamwork skills and bonding skills. I find it very therapeutic being in the outdoors doing something positive knowing it may even be there for years to come. Ecology has helped me a lot – a very important part of my recovery.”

For further information about Phoenix Futures Conservation Therapy Programme please contact: julie.coombes@phoenix-futures.org.uk or visit the Phoenix Futures website.

For further information and photographs please contact:
The National Press Office on 0845 603 9953, press@naturalengland.org.uk, out of hours 07970 098005.