Home News News The Birch Collective: Celebrating 5 Years with Exciting Updates

The Birch Collective: Celebrating 5 Years with Exciting Updates

Hello friends,

We’ve got so much to celebrate and share with you this season — thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s what’s new at The Birch Collective:

🎉 Celebrating 5 Years of Impact

Since starting in 2020 in response to Covid-19, we’ve reached our 5th birthday! Over these years, we’ve grown from a small response project into a thriving community CIC offering weekly groups, youth programmes, and corporate partnerships — all rooted in nature, wellbeing, and creativity.

To mark the moment, we’ve made a beautiful new video capturing our story so far — we’d love for you to watch it:
👉 Watch here: https://youtu.be/fEaditPPV_A 

🌱 Launching Seeding Change

This year we’ve launched our brand-new programme, Seeding Change — a 7-month journey for 18–25s in Bristol, combining seasonal camps, monthly evening sessions, mentoring, and nature-based activities. It’s all about planting the seeds for personal growth, social action, and climate resilience.

🗣 Steering Group Workshops – Apply Now info in link: PDF Steering Group Workshop Poster (DOWNLOAD)

This November, we’re running three interactive workshops for 16–25 year-olds in Bristol to explore how social action and nature can support mental health.

📅 Dates: Wednesdays 12th, 19th & 26th November
🕠 Time: 5:30–8:30 PM
📍 Where: The Beehive Centre, Whitehall, Bristol
💸 Reward: £30 shopping voucher for attending all 3 sessions
🍕 Free food & travel costs covered

These workshops are relaxed, fun, and a chance to have your voice heard. Participants will also be first in line to join our Youth Advisory Board launching in 2026 with paid roles available.

👉 Apply here: https://www.thebirchcollective.co.uk/programmes/431bd1a8-7e44-4b20-ac23-b0a7ddcb59fd – only 12 spaces available!

🌳 ReCoupe: Working Woods

In March we launched ReCoupe: Working Woods, a regenerative ecological project bringing new life to Troopers Hill Woods. Each week, volunteers learn traditional woodland skills like coppicing, hedge laying, and charcoal burning, while restoring habitats and boosting biodiversity.

📅 Sessions run every Tuesday, 1–5pm (March 2025 – March 2026)
📍 Meet at Strawberry Lane Allotments
👉 Sign up here:  https://www.thebirchcollective.co.uk/programmes/b6cac5d8-3eb0-4da9-91e4-2d08989a3011 
Watch the Recoupe: Video Here: https://youtu.be/d8twsD24mis

🧰 Work Well West

We’re proud to partner with the Work Well West scheme, which connects people in Bristol with free coaching, training, and volunteering opportunities to support wellbeing and pathways back into work.

If you or someone you know could benefit from spending time outdoors, learning woodland skills, and building confidence through nature, our ReCoupe: Working Woods project is directly linked with Work Well West.

👉 Find out more about Work Well West here: https://www.workwellwest.org/
and sign up to get coaching & Join Recoupe – 👉 Quick 30-second sign-up form here:
https://goto.workwellwest.org/BirchCollectiveSpace

🗞 Birch x Bristol 24/7 Community Partner

We’re proud to have been chosen as a Bristol 24/7 Newspaper Community Partner for 2025! 🎉

This brings us:

1) £2,000 worth of marketing support (socials, newsletters, print & online banners)
2) Volunteer support through university networks
3) Connections with 70+ businesses across the Better Business Network who are keen to collaborate and support grassroots organisations like ours.

A huge thank you to Ruth, Ben, Ursula, Mae and the Bristol 24/7 team — we’re excited to explore what this partnership makes possible.

🌲 Corporate Nature Team Days

We’ve launched Corporate Nature Team Days, designed for businesses who want to boost staff wellbeing and give back to the community. These days combine nature connection, woodland skills, and storytelling with impact — a brilliant way to support both your team and our ongoing work.

🌟 Our Paid-for Services Keep Growing

Our social enterprise services are going from strength to strength:

1) Therapeutic Forest School – 6x weekly sessions for schools, colleges & universities
2) 1:1 Nature Mentoring – tailored wellbeing support outdoors
3) Bespoke Nature Programmes – co-designed with organisations to meet their needs

These services sustain our free community projects, while making a direct impact for clients and participants.

💌 Let’s Collaborate

If you’re a school, university, business, funder, or community organisation, we’d love to work with you. Drop us a line — let’s make something beautiful happen together.

Here’s to the next 5 years! 🌿✨

With gratitude,
The Birch Collective Team

Download:
https://www.naturehealthwest.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Steering-Group-2025-Poster-Print-.pdf