Fife firm expands its forest workplace stress workshops to castle in Edinburgh

Innovative forest-based workshops, developed by business, Wild Workforce, have been highly successful since the launch in Falkland last year, becoming the first programme of its kind to be officially accredited in Scotland.

Now, the company, has been granted permission to roll out the programme at the 16th century Lauriston Castle, following an agreement with the City of Edinburgh Council’s neighbourhood environmental services.

Inspired by successful pilots in Scandinavia, forest schools have been shown to benefit the physical and mental wellbeing of children whilst developing resilience and nature connectedness. Wild Workforce’s programmes re-apply elements of that philosophy to adults in the workplace, with games, reflection and mindful activities in woodland environments helping to address stress and to build resilience amongst work teams. For information and bookings, visit www.wildworkforce.com

Since launching as a start-up in Spring 2023, Wild Workforce’s outdoor sessions in Falkland, Clare Stephen, founder, said: “The grounds of the castle, like at Falkland Estate, are a perfect setting to relax, have fun, connect with others and learn evidence-based tools which have been proven to support both mental and physical health.”

Being able to run workshops in the grounds of Lauriston Castle, overlooking the Firth of Forth, marks a further milestone for Wild Workforce, which already enjoys a similar partnership with operators at Falkland Estate.

The workshops, which include resilience at work CPD, team building and wellbeing for all, start at Lauriston Castle in March and will run throughout 2024. Sessions in Fife are available throughout the year, in the stunning forests on Falkland Estate.

Clare said: “The recent CIPD’s Health and Wellbeing at Work Report again highlights that stress and mental health require more focus and that employers should deliver a systematic programme of activity to meet the Mental Health at Work Commitment. People learn more by doing and experiencing and so the workshops use nature, games, mindful practice and compassion as the evidence-base for learning tools to manage stress at work,” said Clare. “I’m keen to work with employers to support stress management training and tailor the workshops to meet business learning and development and wellbeing needs.”