The Dartmoor Exposure Partnership (April 2011)

Building health and well-being links between Bristol and Dartmoor people and groups

This project is seeking to build an appreciation of engagement with the natural world of Dartmoor National Park and its effect on health and well-being. The partnership project aims to build long-term relationships between individuals, organisations and statutory agencies and organisations based in the Dartmoor area.  

It began with a weekend away at Bellever youth hostel designed to give 26 group leaders from a variety disciplines the confidence and capacity to take groups to Dartmoor.  The weekend was designed to create ‘an environmental immersion’ in relation to the participants’ professional practice as well as an understanding about what the same immersion does to others’ practice.   

On arrival, participants were asked to place dots on scales as you see in the photograph to below (see below left). At the end of the weekend they were asked to add red dots to see if there had been any change (see below right).

This is what people said: 

  •  "I see that my service users would really enjoy it here."
  • "I am more aware of the positive impact that a weekend on Dartmoor can have."
  • "I put my dot near the bottom on Friday and on Sunday moved right to the other end!"
  • "Now I have a network of partnerships so I feel more confident."

Overall comments:

  • "The way the dots have shifted to the positive proves what can happen if you get out of your surroundings and into nature."
  • "The increase in confidence is because Imayla identified and bought all these people together and you don’t feel so alone."
  • "I feel completely inspired by everyone here and so excited that so many more people will be helped by them in their work."
  • "Not only has it been a great weekend, real plans have come out of it".
  • "There are a number of people here who are trying to make their community a better place and this weekend has enabled us to link up."

This weekend has since inspired the Resilience in Action programme (hyperlink) in conjunction with HAWKS, WISH & Bristol Drugs Project and the Revisionists Go to Dartmoor project (hyperlink).  

The Dartmoor Partnership has also informed our family offer ‘Nip it in the Bud’ where we work with families with multiple and complex needs in nature.