Autism Woodland Project
Aims of the project
To create a wood for Autistic people
To create a place where Autistic people can visit to relax and enjoy nature
To create a place where Autistic people can be a part of an ongoing woodland conservation project if they wish to
To be a small project so that everyone feels comfortable and so that we minimise our impact on the wildlife of the area
To keep the project within an Autism safe space and avoid to as much as possible the use social media
To be a by us - for us project. It is a project organised by Autistic people for Autistic people.
To be inclusive and to be independent of political, environmental or religious agendas
To create a place where Autistic people can manifest themselves freely without judgement or interference
To create a permanent place for Autistic people that can continue in perpetuity
Conservation – to restore an area of Ancient woodland in North Devon.The aim is to restore the area of ancient woodland within the wood, also creating ponds, putting up bird boxes and creating wildlife habitat.
Innovation – to use a method of minimal intervention forestry as described by Peter Wohlleben in his book The Hidden Lives of Trees
The project hopes to create a natural space where Autistic people can go to decompress from their daily lives in an Autism only space and if they feel like it, share their experiences with other autistic people.
To be a creative space. It is a nice open space where people can do photography, drawing, play musical instruments etc.
To be a place that people can visit regularly - people who have visited the wood feel that they have benefited from it and have continued to attend.
To encourage similar projects across the UK so that all Autistic people can one day be within easy reach of a woodland project in a space that is just for Autistic people.
Aims for 2024
To turn the Autism Woodland Project into a charity, with Autistic people who have visited the wood forming the board of the charity. This will enable the wood to be bequeathed to the charity so that it can continue its work in perpetuity. The charity will aim to use crowdfunding and donations to create and run new woodlands for Autistic people across the UK. It will take time but hopefully a second wood could be created in the centre of the country within a year or two.
The conservation projects for this year are to plant new Birch, Alder and Aspen trees to replace the Ash die back trees that had to be felled last year. These particular tree species were recommended by our tree surgeon Andy as being the most suitable for the planting area. There is no obligation for anybody to participate in conservation projects. Some people just want to visit and enjoy the wood.
We are particularly hoping to help people with sensory issues that mean they are not comfortable in indoor spaces and so struggle to attend Autism groups etc. Hopefully the wood will provide them with a place to go with an outdoor environment where they can meet up with other Autistic people.
We hope to continue to bring to people the benefits of the wood through visits to the wood, picnics or camping in the wood as a retreat from everyday life.
The progress of the Autism Woodland Project will be updated regularly on the Updates page of the website.
Questions?
Contact autismwoodlandproject@gmail.com to get more information on the project. It would be great to find new people to visit the wood now that summer is upon us so please feel free to get in touch if you would like to visit