on form Charities 2022
\5th April 2022
We have selected four charities as partners this year. Our concern for climate and nature recovery, refuge and inclusion, and mental health are reflected in the charities we have chosen.
For week 1 (June 15th-19th), we have selected Wychwood Forest Trust, a charity working with the local communities to protect and restore the spaces that were once a part of the historic Wychwood Forest :120 square miles and 41 parishes of today’s West Oxfordshire.
The Trust also runs projects promoting the Wychwood area’s unique cultural identity and helping people learn traditional rural skill and crafts. Restoring habitats doesn’t just mean conserving what’s already there; the Trust acquires land considered degraded and gives it the space it needs to become a nature reserve of tomorrow.
Their wide array of events—from practical courses to tree-planting sessions to a bustling annual Forest Fair – engages diverse local groups with the natural world around them.
Week 2 (June 22nd – 26th) is dedicated to Refugee Resource, a charity providing psychological, social and practical support for refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants to help them heal from trauma and suffering, and to build new lives as part of Oxfordshire’s diverse community.
Refugee Resource works with, and through, other organisations to provide the best possible service for vulnerable people. The charity provides training for other organisations on mental health and effective ways to work with refugees and migrants, to ensure their clients are treated with understanding and compassion when trying to establish themselves in the UK.
Our third week, (June 29th – July 3rd), is committed to the charity, Wild Oxfordshire. Wild Oxfordshire is a local conservation charity with a vision for a more natural, resilient, and biodiverse Oxfordshire for the benefit of all. They catalyse change by identifying needs, convening partnerships and unlocking opportunities for conservation action.
Wild Oxfordshire is known to be Positive, Agile and Open. They work collaboratively, respond quickly to conservation actions and are open to new ideas and alternative approaches.
Our final week, (July 6th – 10th), will be devoted to Bridewell Gardens. Bridewell is a mental health charity, founded in 1994, that offers social and therapeutic horticulture to adults living in Oxfordshire. They are a recovery service working with people with enduring mental health issues, helping them move forwards until they can lead more active lives in the wider local community.
Bridewell’s walled garden and vineyard is a working environment where the emphasis is on getting out into the open air, taking on new challenges and becoming part of the team. For people who are often quite isolated, this is an important part of their recovery. They use only organic practices. Bridewell Gardens often works alongside other clinical services, such as counselling, psychological and medical therapies.