Lemos&Crane has long promoted engagement with nature as a free and fruitful means of enhancing the lives of vulnerable people – see Steadying the Ladder (homeless people) and our good-practice frameworks on Rise (mental health), Bloom (older people) and PrisonerActionNet (offenders). The love of nature is at the heart of the human condition. Nature brings us a sense of the eternal and the beautiful, both things that we may feel life often lacks. Nature offers a counterweight to feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, futility and fragmentation.
Belief in the restorative power of nature – and its relevance for health, care and other public services – is growing. Richard Louv in his new book The Nature Principle catalogues an inspirational array of projects and scientific studies that demonstrate the value of connecting people to nature - in schools, care homes for older people, mental health services, and in tackling neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour. From re-greening city rooftops and creating community gardens on housing estates through to the exhilaration of ‘green exercise’, Louv argues that nature is within everyone’s reach wherever you live, and is not just the preserve of the lucky few who live in the countryside. It’s just a matter of getting out there, walking, watching, planting...
To find out how practitioners are increasingly using nature in their work with vulnerable and socially-excluded people and to celebrate projects that have used nature to generate positive outcomes such as health and well-being, new skills and knowledge, new relationships, and a sense of purpose and belonging, Lemos&Crane launched the Acorn Awards, with £1,500 prize money. Over 200 entries were received from organisations that provide supported housing, adult social care, criminal justice, social housing and community regeneration, utilising nature in a range of ways:
Find out more here.
Bronze: For members who have completed their profile or posted to the forum
Silver: For members who have submitted an example or entered an awards programme
Gold: For members who have been a speaker at an event or have won or been shortlisted for an award.
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