AUTISTIC children and their families have said an 'amazing' nature-based project is helping to change their lives.

More than 30 young people, siblings and parents joined the weekly Engaging with Nature project in Maidenhead this summer exploring wild spaces and enjoying nature-based activities such as making butterfly feeders and tree bark rubbing.

Run by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), the sessions aimed to teach young people and their families about wildlife, give them the mental and physical health benefits of spending time in green spaces and inspire them to take action for nature.

Michelle Webb joined the course with her husband Andrew and their son Matthew, who both have autism, and their daughter Amelia who is on the diagnosis pathway.

Michelle said:
"This has been the easiest summer holiday we have had: in a neurodiverse household, the holidays are usually quite tricky - the kids lack the routine of school and spend too much time on screens - having something like this has been a pinpoint in our week and they know what to expect.

"They've really enjoyed coming out, they've enjoyed meeting people, making new friends and learning about all these different things. Our daughter has been writing down all the things she's been learning every week and that's something she can take back to school - she's been very inspired."

Matthew added:
"This kind of stuff helps me forget about all the stress of autism. My life is very chaotic with school starting and everything, and this has taken my mind off that and it's been really helpful to meet new friends. If I had a penny for everything we've learnt about nature I'd be able to buy the moon - my sister Amelia's decided to write all of it down in her book. It's great."

The children who joined the six summer sessions are all regulars at The Autism Group social clubs in Maidenhead, and BBOWT is running more sessions with the group this autumn and winter.

The sessions are based at Braywick Heath Nurseries - a Maidenhead garden centre that offers employment and training opportunities to people with disabilities. Over the six weeks, as well as exploring nearby Braywick Park where the group discovered a hornet's nest, a treecreeper and a wasp spider, they also made wildflower seed bombs to detonate at home and hotels for solitary bees using paper straws, hollow stems and old plant pots.

BBOWT project officer Clare Hegarty has also been running similar sessions with Furze Platt Junior School in Maidenhead, Thames Hospice in Windsor and Maidenhead charity Re:Charge, which runs drop-in sessions for families and children to play and learn. All session encourage participants to take action for nature where they live to help boost local biodiversity.

BBOWT was given generous funding to run the Engaging with Nature sessions by Maidenhead and Windsor's Climate Partnership, an alliance of businesses, charities, and community groups working together to achieve a sustainable future for Windsor and Maidenhead.

Clare Hegarty, BBOWT Project Officer, said:
"We are so pleased with how successful these sessions have been. The young people have all clearly had so much fun and have learnt so much about wildlife, but more than that, they and their parents have told us what a difference it's made to their lives, to their happiness and their wellbeing.

“We have known for a long time that spending time in nature offers measurable health benefits, but it’s fantastic to see those benefits in real life and to have people tell us what an impact the sessions have had. We really hope this project can continue."

The courses are part of BBOWT's long-running Engaging with Nature project, which helps people connect with nature for their health and wellbeing. The project also helps empower communities to improve and create space for wildlife, particularly in urban areas, encouraging people to take actions such as making bug hotels or scattering wildflower seeds.

BBOWT is hoping to continue the Engaging with Nature project in the borough next year, with a further four local partner organisations and charities - but the future is now uncertain as more funding is needed. The charity is seeking backing now to allow the project to keep going and help more people grow with nature.