Bristol Tree Craft – Connecting young refugees to nature, community and wellbeing
Bristol Tree Craft is a nature-based mental health service charity that uses creative outdoor engagement to support the wellbeing of both local people and the environment.
Its sessions for at-risk groups, such as young people, refugees and asylum seekers, and individuals in addiction recovery, are free-to-access and designed to combat social isolation, tackle poor mental health, break down barriers to accessing nature, and encourage collective ownership of green spaces.
Young refugees and asylum seekers newly arrived in Britain face significant challenges: many find themselves in an unfamiliar city with limited English and without an established support network. After their journey to the UK, which can often be traumatic, some are also living with anxiety, PTSD or other mental health problems.
This combination of having little or no knowledge of their local environment, the language barrier and a lack of social connections can inhibit them from engaging with their new communities and accessing green spaces. With minimal opportunities to integrate with others, many struggle to build trust or feel a sense of belonging in their new surroundings.
Bristol Tree Craft applied to SMV for funding to deliver a programme that would address these potential difficulties experienced by young people.
Run in partnership with Our Second Home, a nonprofit organisation supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK, the sessions included social aspects such as team games, outdoor cooking and sharing meals around the fire, as well as craft activities like wood carving, willow weaving and leaf printing. The programme was designed to help participants to build friendships that would help them feel more at home in Bristol and improve their wellbeing, while also providing them with new skills and a platform to explore ideas of caring for nature and investing in local green spaces.
The grant of £5,000 enabled the charity to run ten three-hour craft sessions between April and August 2025, which were attended by 38 young refugees and asylum seekers.
Sessions included wood carving, team games, outdoor cooking and sharing meals around the fire
While many of the participants were initially shy or withdrawn, the impact of attending the sessions was soon evident. They began to actively contribute, leading games, laughing, joking and sharing meals, regardless of language or cultural barriers.
The attendees reported how much they enjoyed socialising together in a safe space, where they could have fun and simply be themselves. Several said that this was the first time they had felt truly relaxed since their arrival in Bristol. 90% said that attending the sessions has enabled them to build friendships, while many also said that the craft-based activities, including whittling wood and cooking food over a fire, introduced them to hands-on skills that they had never tried before, and they were now keen to spend more time in nature.
“The place makes you feel relaxed, and the people were kind.
You feel safe in the nature”
One of the strongest outcomes was the tangible emergence of self-confidence among the participants. Several participants stepped forward to take on small but meaningful roles within the sessions, such as checking in and out the participants and leading group games. This encouraged them to take on a greater sense of ownership of the programme, which for some was a rare and valuable experience after long periods of instability and uncertainty.
This evidence of growing leadership skills, self-belief and community-building is a powerful sign of how Bristol Tree Craft is supporting vulnerable people to empower their own lives and build a brighter future where they feel seen, valued and at home.
“I really enjoy it and hopefully I’ll be there always.”
CASE STUDY
When Amina* arrived in Bristol, she spoke very little English and when she started to attend Bristol Tree Craft sessions, she was extremely quiet and hesitant to join in. She often sat at the edge of the group, watching rather than participating.
As the weeks went on, Amina began to gain confidence through the practical activities, during which she would often communicate through her actions rather than her words. By the seventh session, she surprised the group by volunteering to lead the check-out at the end. She stood in front of 11 of her peers, invited each person to share how they were feeling, and even added a game that had everyone laughing. Afterwards, she told staff that it was the first time since arriving in the UK that she had felt “like herself again.” Other young people noticed too; they gave her high fives, thanked her, and a few asked if they could lead next time.
The charity says this moment encapsulated what the grant made possible: a safe, welcoming environment where young people who had experienced displacement and trauma could find not only joy and friendship, but also the confidence to step forward and take on roles of responsibility. That small act of leading a check-out represented something much bigger: ownership, trust and the start of a sense of belonging.
* Not her real name