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, ecologist Prof Jonathan Silvertown and Green Health Programme Manager for NHS Lothian Ian Mackenzie including opportunity for befriending a tree.

• Wellbeing talks and Green Drinks, in the Columcille Centre.

Programme

Nature walk

Time: 2.30-4pm

Location: Astley Ainslie Hospital North Gate, pedestrian access, Newbattle Terrace, across from Whitehouse Loan.

Wellbeing talks and Green Drinks

Time: 4.30-7pm

Location: Columcille Centre

Speakers

Dr Michele Hipwell - Mindfulness, forest bathing and nature
Ian Mackenzie - Green Health Programme in NHS Lothian
Dr Sara Stevenson - The history of the Astley Ainslie Hospital, with a focus on health and wellbeing

Rachel Codd- Surviving in space... Thriving in Place - Designing with Biophilia
Dr Scott Olgetree- Relationship between society and the natural environment - Woods In and Around Town

Music from Karine Polwart and Pippa Murphy with Dave Milligan on piano. Poetry from Sophie Cooke.

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.

Prof Jonathan Silvertown - Nature Walk Leader AAH

Jonathan is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Edinburgh. He lives near Astley Ainslie, passing through the site almost daily on his way to work. He is interested in the development of various forms of social and technical infrastructure that can be used to track ecological change, such as the use of sensors connected to Edinburgh’s “internet of things” network to monitor biodiversity and visitor use of city parks (ParkLife). Previously, while at the Open University, Jonathan devised several citizen science web projects that crowdsource biological data, including iSpotnature.org which is a social network that rapidly and accurately identifies observations of any species of wildlife. Jonathan also writes popular science books, the most recent being, Dinner with Darwin: Food, drink and evolution (Chicago University Press, 2017) and The Comedy of Error: Why evolution made us laugh (Scribe, 2020).

Keynote Speaker: Ian Mackenzie

Ian Mackenzie is passionate about connecting people and nature to improve health and tackle climate change. As the Green Health Programme Manager for NHS Lothian he is at the forefront of integrating biodiversity and nature into health care settings and systems. Building on a 20 year career in wildlife conservation, he has a reputation for developing partnerships and collaborations that bridge the gap between conservation and other sectors. Working for greenspace scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Forrest Research he has  created partnership and projects that benefit both people and planet.

Dr Michele Hipwell – Seminar Speaker

Michele is a practising Chartered Health Psychologist and academic psychologist who taught and trained post-graduate health psychology students. She has a strong focus in the integration of health and well-being activities in green spaces in her practice. 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 and is a member of SEDA’s Health and Well-being group. As a mindfulness practitioner, she co-facilitated a group of over 150 Health practitioners’ research and practice across Scotland and runs mindfulness groups every week, with a focus on nature.

Dr Sara Stevenson
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.

Sophie Cooke

Sophie is a novelist, poet, short story writer, and travel writer. Her first two novels are based in rural Scotland, her my novel-in-progress is based in the former Yugoslavia, during the 1990s wars. Sophies poetry explores mythology, science, environmental issues, and human emotion. Sophie makes film-poems in collaboration with film-makers and editors. Her short stories deal with themes from ageing, family and love to mining and dystopian futures.

Rachel Codd

Rachel is a biophilic designer based in Edinburgh. From an early age, she had a profound appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors and this laid the foundation for her future endeavors: studying printmaking and illustration, working in natural healthcare, as a librarian and as a freelance designer before completing an MA in Interior Architecture & Design in 2022. Her final project was a place-based concept design for a tenement-based GP Clinic in Edinburgh.

Her approach to design is underpinned by a steadfast commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship. She champions eco-friendly practices and materials, striving to minimise ecological footprints while maximising positive impacts on both people and planet. In 2023 she launched Make Better Interiors, providing clients with nature-inspired, eco-conscious interior design services.

Dr Scott Ogletree

Dr Scott Ogletree is a Lecturer in Landscape and Wellbeing in the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA), having previously joined OPENspace as a Research Fellow in June 2021. His research focuses on the relationship between society and the natural environment.

Scott works within two projects at OPENspace, “Woods In and Around Town” (WIAT2) – looking at the impact of woodlands on mental health and child development, and GroundsWell – helping gather and manage data for green and blue space interventions.