Injection of nature to relieve stress for Welsh ambulance staff

Ambulance staff are being offered a dose of the outdoors to cope with the pressures – and occasional trauma – of life on the health care front line.

The Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust is joining with mental health charity Mind Over Mountains to provide a series of back to nature respite days for its staff.

The next event is over the May bank holiday weekend in the foothills around Llanberis and Dolbadarn in Gwynedd. Walkers are accompanied by qualified coaches and mental health counsellors alongside the usual mountain leaders.

“Whether you’re a paramedic, a call handler, corporate staff or any of the other varied roles within the Trust, all our jobs come with a certain amount of stress,” says Catherine Lloyd, Organisational Development Experience and Engagement Lead at the Welsh Ambulance Service.

“Working for the ambulance service can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s inevitable that our professional staff will be called upon to face difficult situations. That is why the wellbeing of our staff is so important to us,” she adds.

“Days like this give our valued staff the opportunity to press the pause button and to walk-and-talk with colleagues and mental health professionals.”

As well as special events for the blue light services, Mind Over Mountains provides walks and retreats for anyone who feels they could benefit.

Upcoming retreats in North Wales are in Penmaenpool, Dolgellau (14-16 June) and Bryntysilio, Llangollen (13-15 September).

“We offer much more than an escape into nature. Enjoying the Welsh mountain scenery has a therapeutic effect on its own – and we add mental health support in that unpressured setting,” explains the charity’s chief executive Ian Sansbury.

“Our events give you the opportunity to explore beautiful places in Wales while accompanied by skilled counsellors and coaches who walk, talk and, most importantly, listen.”

Anyone can sign up to the Mind Over Mountains retreats. There is a fee to cover accommodation plus the cost of the guides and counsellors, with funded places also available. For more information visit www.mindovermountains.org.uk

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