GCV Green Network
Connecting Our Quality Spaces

Branching Out is an innovative project for adults who use mental health services within Glasgow and the Clyde Valley.

Branching Out was piloted by Forestry Commission Scotland at Cathkin Braes Country Park and Carmunnock. Both sites are on the outskirts of Glasgow, and offer a variety of environments for the project.

Greenspace is used as the setting for therapeutic activities designed to build self-esteem and confidence among clients, including:

• Physical activity e.g. health walks and tai chi
• Conservation activities e.g. rhododendron clearance and willow coppicing
• Bushcraft, e.g. fire lighting and shelter building
• Environmental art e.g. photography and willow sculptures

The aim is to improve the quality of life of adults experiencing severe and enduring mental health problems. Clients engage in a range of activities such as woodland art, health walks, nature conservation and bushcraft designed to build confidence and social skills.

For each client, the service consists of approximately three hours of activities per week in a woodland setting. Clients work together in small groups of up to fifteen for a twelve-week period.

On completion of the course there is a graduation ceremony where clients receive certificates of completion, tool handling and achievement (e.g. The John Muir Award).

Lessons Learned

Several positive outcomes of the Branching Out project were highlighted during the project evaluation:

• Low dropout rates in a hard to reach population
• Significant increases in physical activity
• Strong trends towards improvement in health and wellbeing measures
• Self-reported improvements in confidence and self-esteem
• Cost effective intervention with a range of health care benefits for users.

The evaluation report recommends that mental health providers and clinical practitioners should give due consideration to adopting and supporting ecotherapy programmes as part of a wider menu of therapy options.

The Way Forward

The Partnership is keen to identify where greenspace managers, mental health providers and clinical practitioners can work together to deliver more Branching Out programmes across the GCV region.

Further information

• For a summary on Branching Out, download the Forestry Commission Scotland leaflet;
• For more information on the evaluation of Branching Out download the Executive Summary;
• For detailed information on the evaluation of Branching Out download the Full Evaluation Report; and
  
• If you are interested in setting up a Branching Out programme download the Branching Out  Resource Guide.

Local Authorities have a statutory obligation to identify, map and promote core paths, based on community consultation, within their area. 

The process is most often thought of in relation to the protection, resourcing and enhancement of those paths.  It is less often considered in the context of measurable health improvement for communities who might use those paths.

Making the link between the use of a Core Path Network and health improvement can be difficult. However it may be assumed that increased path usage will result in higher levels of physical activity and therefore a general improvement in health outcomes within a community. 

This assumption formed the basis of this study.

The Green Network

Core Path Planning is an important process in determining local access priorities for the Green Network. Through this research study the Partnership is keen to understand and promote the wider social benefits delivered through the planning and delivery of a path network. 

The study considered two contrasting communities, Hillhead in Kirkintilloch (in the lowest 15% SIMD ranking) and Milngavie (a fairly affluent area) and baseline data gathered on levels of path use, how the paths are used and what sectors of the community used them most. 

The study report, published in May 2008, provides the baseline information against which to assess in future years the impact of Core Path Planning on communities’ travel habits in relation to the local Green Network.

The Way Forward

East Dunbartonshire Council is actively promoting the Core Path Network.  The research study will be repeated in 2011 to determine whether that promotion and the wider Core Path Planning process have had an impact on levels of usage.

The original baseline study was used as supporting documentation in East Dunbartonshire’s successful Smarter Choices, Smarter Places bid to the Scottish Government to promote healthier travel around the Kirkintilloch area.

For more detailed information download the full Core Path Planning and Health Improvement from the right hand column.