About the event

The sessions, which form part of a co-operative project between Durham Wildlife Trust and Sunderland Council, offer a range of outdoor engagement activities aimed at those who may be experiencing issues related to dementia. 

We will explore ways we can use outdoor interactions, lifestyle options and life hacks to help reduce the risk of dementia. We will also look at outdoor engagement as a coping mechanism to help promote brain health. 

Sessions include:

Tree ID wildlife walk - Join us for a stroll around Hetton Lyons Country Park where we will learn all about our native trees.   

Willow weaving - We will learn how to weave willow into baskets using heritage craft techniques. 

Wild orienteering - Through teamwork and map reading, we will find the answers to nature questions hidden all over Hetton Lyons Country Park. 

Sensory rope walk - We will learn to rely on each other, practice communication, and use senses other than sight to move around the woodlands.  

Back 2 back sketching - We will work together to make nature-inspired art. We will listen to each other describing a scene or object and reproduce it on a page without seeing the subject. 

Intro to wildlife conservation - Have a go being a steward for our local wildlife. We will learn new skills and keep ourselves active in the outdoors.

The sessions

To gain the most from our programme, we recommend you come to all six sessions, but if you cannot make it to all the sessions, just message Lyze to let them know. 

Please ensure that, if they are attending the programme with you, places are booked for any carers or support workers as this will help us to organise our equipment and keep our register accurate.  

The programme is aimed at adults over 50 or caring for over 50s.

The details

Facilities are available in The Lakes Cafe on site. 

Please come dressed for outdoor activities appropriate to the weather of the day including sturdy shoes, layers and waterproofs. We do have limited sizes of waterproofs and wellies available to lend out if needed – please let us know prior to the sessions if you would like to borrow these. 

All activity equipment will be provided for each session. We kindly ask that you bring a filled water bottle, a snack and a bag to carry it all in. 

There is free park on site for those arriving by car. 

There are several bus stops nearby, the nearest is an eleven-minute walk from the meetup point. This stop has services 168 and 32.