Page 11 - BBOWT Annual Review 2016-17

Random Acts of
Wildness make us happy!
In June BBOWT took
part in the national 30
Days Wild campaign.
This encourages people
to do a Random Act
of Wildness connecting
with nature every day
for a month.
Research shows the majority of
people taking part in 30 Days Wild
feel positive benefits to their mental
and physical wellbeing.
Thousands of practical, fun, quirky and the compelling argument for bringing
wonderful ideas for connecting with the nature into our everyday lives. Two
natural environment were shared on
social media using #30DaysWild.
People taking part described their
Random Acts of Wildness: spending
an evening star gazing, having tea up
a tree, building a bughouse, enjoying
mindfulness in a meadow, or even sitting
in the garden and watching butterflies!
The impacts of 30 Days Wild were
tracked by academics at the University
of Derby. Their study found that people
who did something‘wild’each day for a
month, felt happier, healthier and more
connected to nature, with added
benefits for the natural world too.
Dr Miles Richardson, Director of
Psychology, who led the study, said:
“The impact of 30 Days Wild adds to
months after taking part in 30 Days Wild, outdoors!”
there was a 30 per cent increase in the
number of people who reported their
health as excellent.”
“Results from 2015 also showed people’s
happiness continued to improve after 30
Days Wild ended, which illustrates its
sustained impact. This is important as it
is happiness and connecting with nature
that influence improvements in health.
Our study also shows that those who
benefitted most were younger adults
and those who weren’t‘nature lovers’.”
“All 30 days were an adventure
and we relished the challenge to
do something wild every day.
Many of our activities were
unplanned. We kept our eyes
open and simply enjoyed being
Sue Croxford
BBOWT member
Annual Review 2016/17 | Berks,Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust 11