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Help me launch a pilot programme using nature, walking and simple bushcraft to support wellbeing and connection.
I'm Eloise. For most of my working life I have supported people through some of the hardest experiences they can face, including trauma, abuse, loss, isolation and major life changes. My background is in social work and safeguarding, and I have spent many years listening to people's stories, helping people navigate difficult situations and thinking about what helps people feel safe, supported and able to move forward.
Alongside my professional work, I have always had a strong connection with the outdoors. It has been the place I go to reset, think, create and reconnect. Running the trails around Suffolk feels like medicine. Long walks, swimming in the sea, making coffee outside, cooking over a fire, creating things with my hands and sharing those experiences with other people are the moments where I feel most grounded and most like myself.
I think lots of you will agree that the conversations that happen outdoors are just different. Walking or moving side by side, rather than sitting across from someone, can change the dynamic. People often relax, open up and find space to think. The environment itself becomes part of the process. There's tons of research on this and it's still an emerging field, and one I'm keen to contribute to.
This understanding has grown through my professional work, my own experiences and through being part of Roots, a peer-led outdoor movement community. Roots has shown me what can happen when people come together outside, strangers becoming friends, people finding confidence, and conversations happening that may never have happened indoors.
These experiences have led me to develop Fieldwork, a nature-based therapeutic practice combining my background in social work and safeguarding with training in Therapeutic Wilderness Approaches and coaching.
I am currently completing the final stage of my Therapeutic Wilderness Approaches training, leading towards accreditation. As part of this journey, I am developing and delivering a pilot programme bringing together walking, trail movement, nature connection, simple bushcraft, shared activities and therapeutic approaches.
My vision is to create accessible outdoor programmes where people can step away from everyday pressures, reconnect with themselves and others, build confidence and experience the benefits of being outside.
To make this pilot possible, I'm asking for donations (money or kit) to cover the practical essentials needed to run sessions safely and professionally. This includes:
The equipment purchased through this fundraiser will continue to be used beyond the pilot, helping me develop future Fieldwork programmes and community sessions.
I've reached out to a few councillors and am looking out for any small grants I may be able to access. If you have any knowledge or links please do share with me.
So many amazing people have already believed in this project and in me. Friends listening to me talk endlessly about the what ifs and maybe I coulds! I'm already working with a wonderful local charity, and will be offering this first experience to their service users. Also Twisted Oaks bike park are very kindly allowing me to use some of their beautiful woodland to host the group.
My hope is that this pilot is just the beginning. Over time, I would love to develop Fieldwork into a range of accessible outdoor programmes supporting people at different points in their lives, from those experiencing isolation, stress or major life changes, to people who simply need space to slow down, reconnect and spend time outdoors with others.
I would love to see more opportunities for people who don't currently feel that outdoor spaces are "for them" to experience the confidence, connection and wellbeing that can come from walking, moving, creating and spending time together outside.
I've seen how empowering it can be for people to learn to start their own fire using basic tools, to cook a simple meal outside, make shelter and create art or tools from natural resources. I'd love to bring some of this into what I offer too.
The long-term vision is not about creating exclusive wilderness experiences, but about making the benefits of nature, movement and human connection more accessible.
This is the first step in building something I hope will make nature-based support more accessible to people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience it.
Thank you for helping me take that first step.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 9th September 2026 at 6:08pm