As the seasons change again there is time to reflect on our place in the world. Perhaps being out in nature makes people like Sylvia Plath’s protagonist Esther Greenwood on a trip one winter: ‘I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery – air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “this is what it is to be happy”.’ Perhaps, like Nan Shephard they have ‘gone out to merely be with the mountain as one visits a friend with no intention but to be with him’.
As the American poet and essayist Gretel Erlich wrote in The Solace of Open Spaces: ‘everything in nature invites us constantly to be what we are.’
It is not just writers and artists who feel such a deep connection and union with the natural world. And yet we sometimes talk of nature as separate to us, as though we were not part of it at all.
At Trees for Life, understanding that we belong in nature and have our place within it has always been core to our rewilding mission. People, whether as individuals or organisations, as well as the communities around us, are at the heart of what we do. When people find themselves connected to our work in a tangible and tactile way, change can really begin to happen.
One of the great benefits to businesses joining us as Corporate Partners is access to team days out on the hills and on the ground at Dundreggan. It is a real opportunity to switch off from the constant thrum of technology and to switch on to life around as it happens. To be what we are, in Gretel Erlich’s words. The wellbeing benefits of being outdoors, focussing on a task without distraction, are well documented and we encourage our supporters to spend time with us whenever they are able to.
Days with us also bridge the disconnect that there can often be between giving to a charity and experiencing its work first hand. It is so important for companies to see where their money could be going and we are delighted to be to hosting partners including Glen Lyon Coffee, SWARCO, Office Angels, Tandem Bank and Scottish Building Society this coming season.
Meeting the team at the nursery or further afield is also one of the best ways for our partners to understand the transition towards natural regeneration, which has always been embedded in the founding ethos of Trees for Life as the next natural step in our rewilding path. Our partners also become ambassadors for our work, encouraging like-minded businesses to join us and begin their own journeys with us.
In the coming year we will be putting together a new programme of team activities and events that will enhance the experiences of our business partners when they visit. We look forward to sharing these details with our partners soon and inviting them to take part.
Getting involved and being hands on gives a real connectedness with the world and people around us. If your business would like to support rewilding and get closer to nature in the Scottish Highlands, please contact us at corporates@treesforlife.org.uk to find out more on our Corporate Partnership opportunities.Thank you to our partner Glen Lyon Coffee for providing us with the header image.