Garrison Lane Bench Chat

You may have been following my Friendship Bench Chat project as I take time to sit down on a bench in a park and chat to friends and colleagues about benches, parks, nature and most importantly give them an opportunity to chat about themselves and if they are OK. We know that a connection with nature brings us increased wellbeing. Just looking at images of a healthy natural environment can help us to relax, children often use the word calm when we ask them how they feel when they are outdoors in nature. But in some of our urban environments helping children to connect with nature can take a lot of work. Our green spaces need to be well managed and we often need connectors, people who help make the connections, for many of the city’s children to be able to benefit from the joy that our parks can bring.

In this bench chat I talk to one of those connectors – Helen Harvey who until recently worked for Birmingham Open Spaces Forum and has left a legacy of nature connection for one school right next to Garrison Lane Park.

You can listen into our chat by clicking on the audio link at the bottom of the page. It’s a good one so you may need a hot drink and perhaps a biscuit, you can always walk it off later in the park.

Helen describes Garrison Lane Park and the contemplation area we chose to sit in for our chat. One feature that is easy to miss is a sun shaped design on the floor which as we find out can represent different things to different people.

Helen has been involved with the City of Nature work from the early days of the Future Parks Accelerator Project, helping to bring Dawberry Fields Park to life and then taking on a whole ward (and more) with the Bordesley and Highgate Future Park Standard Pilot and remains connected to nature and parks through her own voluntary work with the Friends Group at Holders Lane Woods and supporting other community projects in Birmingham.

I don’t record every bench chat I have, but I do share the one’s I do record, this one will need you to make a bit of time to listen in to but as always the personal insights, and as Helen says joyful stories, and the laughter make our chat really worth sharing. So you are welcome to join us on a green metal bench in Garrison Lane Park as I ask Helen if she is OK.

If you don’t know me, I’m Debbie Needle the Community Coordinator for the City of Nature Programme and I would love to come and chat with you in your park, please contact me if you would like to share your story. But whatever you do, please visit your park, make time to talk to family, friends and colleagues and remember you don’t need to keep it short, just let the conversation flow and enjoy.