SEDA Health and Wellbeing. Green Drinks: Hug a Tree

SEDA Health and Wellbeing Green Drinks

Edinburgh and online

Sunday 12 May 2024

Nature walk 2-4pm
(Astley Ainslie hospital grounds, North Gate, 141 Whitehouse Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 2EX)

Wellbeing talks and Green Drinks 4.30-7pm
(Columcille Centre, 2 Newbattle Terrace, Edinburgh EH10 4RT - 5pm start online)

SEDA Health and Wellbeing are delighted to invite you to the 'Nature Recovery' Tree walk in the 100 years old Astley Ainslie hospital grounds followed by talks focused on health and wellbeing in greenspaces.

Access to quality green spaces and wildlife rich environments can support health and wellbeing of individuals and communities, prevent social isolation and illness. People thrive in nature and reciprocal relationship between human health and nature protection is one that is not sufficiently acknowledged but crucial: the importance of a collaborative not a competing approach.

Our speakers will share their experiences on how living in nature can enhance lives, improving health and wellbeing of people and the planet.

Nature walks in Astley Ainslie hospital grounds with forester Willie McGhee and ecologist Jonathan Silvertown including opportunity for befriending a tree.

Wellbeing talks and Green Drinks in Columcille Centre (in person and online). For those in-person, a donation box will be available for contribution towards the cost of food and drink with a suggested donation of £5.

Please email [email protected] if you have any dietary requirements for the Greendrinks.

Speakers will include:
Michele Hipwell - Mindfulness, forest bathing and nature

Ian Mackenzie - Green Health Programme in NHS Lothian

Sara Stevenson - The history of the Astley Ainslie Hospital, with a focus on health and wellbeing
with music from Karine Polwart and Pippa Murphy with Dave Milligan on piano.

About the speakers:

Michele Hipwell – Seminar Speaker

Michele is a practising Chartered Health Psychologist and an academic psychologist who taught and trained post-graduate health psychology students. She has a strong interest in the integration of health and well-being activities in green spaces. Her family lived a few minutes’ walk from the Astley Ainslie Hospital (AAH) and were familiar with the lovely green spaces onsite.

An environmental and community activist, she co-founded and co-chaired the community group Transition Edinburgh South started 15 years ago. One early activity included running a community garden in the AAH hospital grounds. She continues to be actively involved in community groups initiatives, including the Astley Ainslie Community Trust. She is also a member of SEDA’s Health and Well-being group. As a mindfulness practitioner, she co-facilitated the Scottish Mindfulness Research Community, a Scottish wide group of over 150 health professionals developing mindfulness research and practice. She continues to facilitates a couple of mindfulness groups every week too and supports ‘Green Health’ activities.

Willie McGhee – Nature walk Leader - AAH

Willie served as co-convenor of AACT. He is a practicing forester who has worked in commercial and community forestry since 1990. He was, Director of Borders Forest Trust from 1996 to 2011, a Trustee and latterly Chair of Scottish Power’s Green Energy Trust (2002–2018), founder and Director of the Southern Upland Partnership (1999–2004), a Trustee on the Scottish Forestry Trust (2003–2012), a Director of the Millennium Forest for Scotland Trust (1996–2006) and served on two Forestry Commission Advisory Panels (Native Woodland: 1996–1999, Forests for People: 2000–2006) and is an active member and Secretary for the Forest Policy Group (2008–present). He currently serves as a fundraiser and Forest Manager for the Highland Perthshire Communities Land Trust and is an active campaigner and forestry consultant for community land ownership. He has been involved in purchasing and planning for community land purchase for the last 25 years and is a member of a forest owning partnership.

Jonathan Silvertown - Nature Walk Leader AAH

Jonathan is a plant ecologist. He moved to Scotland in 2014 when he was appointed Professor of Evolutionary Ecology in the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Edinburgh. He retired in September 2022, and is now an honorary Professor in the Institute. Prior to moving to Edinburgh, Jonathan was Professor of Ecology at the Open University where he devised the citizen science projects iSpotnature.org , Treezilla.org and Evolutionmegalab.org

Jonathan has written a number of popular science books, including most recently Selfish Genes to Social Beings: A cooperative history of life, which was published by Oxford University Press in April 2024.

www.JonathanSilvertown.com.

Dr Sara Stevenson - Historian and Editor.

Dr Sara Stevenson is a historian specialising in 19th century photography. She is currently the Editor of Leaves magazine, based on Patrick Geddes’ idea, ‘By Leaves we live’, and concerned with nature, health and creativity.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Tour start: Astley Ainslie Hospital, North Gate,, 141 Whitehouse Terrace, Edinburgh, United Kingdom