Our Theory of Change has been produced in collaboration between staff members, regular volunteers, and long-standing project participants. It brings together their ideas, opinions and vocabulary used in expressing their lived experience of Tortworth Forest Centre and wishes for the organisation. We are on a mission to restore The Dell at Tortworth Arboretum to create a place where people and trees thrive. Our Theory of Change Narrative (below) describes the work we are doing to achieve this and accompanies this diagram:
The story of restoring the tree collection
At the core of our work is an incredibly special place – part of an arboretum previously left abandoned for many years. The restored and thriving tree collection is home to rich and diverse flora and fauna. It is already being enjoyed by our community, and can continue to be by future generations.
We are restoring the arboretum’s character, and tree health, whilst always striving to maintain the woodland’s value to nature, identifying and recording what we find along the way. We are clearing around existing specimen trees and are on the way to 200 new tree plantings, with varied species from around the world. Not only this, but we create pathways, improve signage, and install benches. We manage the woodland in-line with health and safety regulations, and are working to record and archive the botanic tree collection, past and present.
The story of people amongst the trees
The community that the arboretum serves is at the heart of the restoration and management work – a symbiosis between people and trees, through which both parties thrive.
We know that connecting with nature has a powerful positive effect on people’s mental and physical health, and overall resilience. We know that creating a safe outdoor space for people to connect with each other, and teaching them nature-based skills, empowers them to nurture themselves and nature. We also know that we could not restore an arboretum without a team of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers. Because of this we run wellbeing projects for people experiencing mental health challenges, we train conservation volunteers, and we run an annual community events programme.
Through attending our projects, people tell us time and time again that they have improved mental and physical wellbeing, that they have an increased social connection and sense of belonging, that they feel safe, and have more confidence in outdoor spaces. The people we work with develop a sense of ownership of the space, a strong sense of purpose, and a responsibility for the arboretum and for nature. Furthermore, the local community connects with the space – a local green space and heritage site.
The result is a community of people with improved long-term health and resilience, empowered to connect with nature at Tortworth and beyond. For many who attend our projects, the impact is truly profound, and often life changing.
The story of Tortworth Forest Centre CIC
We are a grassroots organisation, beginning as a group of volunteers in 2014. Now with a dedicated part-time staff team of 9, a board of 7 directors with wide ranging skills and experience, and hundreds of committed and passionate volunteers, we are formalising what we do by developing a strategy and business plan.
By nurturing our staff, volunteers, participants, and supporters, raising our profile, and working with woodland hire partners, we hope to expand our community and establish awareness of our work. We are proud to support happier and more fulfilled staff and volunteers, who continue to show commitment to the organisation.
Improved financial sustainability is a key outcome of some of these activities, helping us to move away from being so reliant on grant funding. The organisation is flourishing, and by working towards being more sustainable we will continue to support our community & our tree collection now and for future generations.
Our ways of working
We work with and for our community, championing our values of inclusion, learning and collaboration across all of our work. What this looks likes in practice is that we embed:
- a culture of trauma-informed practice and reflective learning across our community;
- creative and innovative co-design, and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, informing service delivery;
- evidence-based practice with clear policies and procedures in line with regulations and NICE guidelines.
Our supportive groups offer opportunities to engage, contribute, learn and connect, without judgement or pressure. There is a calmness inherent in the place and its historic and unique tree collection, which makes people feel safe, and offers time and space to form connections with nature and with other people. We strive to remove barriers to participation to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the place and all it offers.