There comes a point in many walks when you stop looking at the map. Not because you’re lost. Nor because you’ve reached your destination. But because something else has begun to guide you. When we’re young, life often feels like a series of destinations. This is where I went to school, this is where IContinue reading “With time – You Become the Journey”
Tag Archives: mental-health
How do we make working life feel more like life?
Today is #OutdoorOfficeDay – 11th June 2026 The obvious interpretation is simple. Take your work outside. And yes, that’s a great place to start. Take a call while walking.Have a meeting on a park bench.Drink your tea outside.Look up from your screen for a few minutes. But perhaps Outdoor Office Day is asking a biggerContinue reading “How do we make working life feel more like life?”
The Green Thread: The Hopscotch Test
I recently saw a short video that has stayed with me. Someone had drawn a simple hopscotch grid in chalk on a pavement. Nothing complicated. Just a few numbered squares. The camera then recorded the reactions of adults walking past. Many people didn’t notice it at all. Some were looking at their phones. Some steppedContinue reading “The Green Thread: The Hopscotch Test”
Reflections from the Bridge: A Valued City
The Green Pages are for exploring some of the deeper ideas, questions and connections sitting underneath Birmingham’s City of Nature journey. They are part storytelling, part systems thinking, these reflections wander through parks, waterways, communities, governance, memory, belonging and the living systems that quietly shape everyday life in the city. Some pieces begin with policy.Continue reading “Reflections from the Bridge: A Valued City”
The Quiet Work of Rangers
Friday Feelings – End of Week reflections. As my conversations have moved beyond those who already work closely with nature, I have noticed people saying recently: “I didn’t know Birmingham had a Ranger Service.” And yet, once you know you begin noticing the work Rangers do, and you start seeing their presence across the city’sContinue reading “The Quiet Work of Rangers”
Distributed Leadership
There is a particular kind of powerful leadership that doesn’t always announce itself. It doesn’t need to sit at the top of a structure.It doesn’t always come with a leadership title.And it rarely asks for permission. Across the City of Nature Alliance, I see it often. People who notice something – a gap, a need,Continue reading “Distributed Leadership”
The moment of meeting a bee
It happens on the garden path, in that ordinary corridor between the back door and the day. You are not looking for anything in particular. The air still carries the coolness of morning, though the sun has begun its quiet work. Gravel shifts under your step. A blackbird is somewhere behind you, rehearsing. And thenContinue reading “The moment of meeting a bee”
An unplanned Bench Chat
I don’t record every bench chat I have, sometimes because people don’t want me to record them. Sometimes because I don’t realise stopping for a quick catch up is going to turn into a “Bench Chat” moment. On this occasion a simple question to me – “What are you up to?” Evolved into a conversationContinue reading “An unplanned Bench Chat”
Pull Up a Seat
What I Learned from the Bench Chat Project By Deborah Needle, Community Facilitator, Naturally Birmingham Let me tell you something I’ve learned through this work: sometimes, the simplest ideas are the ones that change people the most. The Friendship Bench Chat wasn’t born in a boardroom, from a strategy paper, or after a round ofContinue reading “Pull Up a Seat”
Reflecting on my role
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Community Facilitator Being a Community Facilitator for the Future Parks Accelerator (FPA) Project is a role filled with purpose, passion, and—sometimes—loneliness. As the final stage of the FPA project that looked at urban nature development comes to a close, I am asking those involved in the project to reflect onContinue reading “Reflecting on my role”
Naturally Birmingham CIC 