We are pleased to present the 2021 Annual Report for the Anna Phillips Foundation. Below we share with you a summary of our main activities as well as a review of the main activities and achievements of the charity for the year.
Summary of the Main Activities of the Anna Phillips Foundation
As set out in our Constitution, the only voting members are its Charity Trustees.
Our Objectives
a) supporting a range of activities beneficial to good health in which immersion in nature is a key part of the green care therapy. The Foundation continues to develop its North Wales location to support the benefits of nature for recovery from trauma related mental health challenges. This involves ensuring a suitable and safe physical environment for clients seeking optimal therapy for their trauma recovery, taking into account the need to be sensitive to the enriched biodiversity of the location.
We continue to deepen our strong working relations with relevant organisations who will act as referral sources as and when appropriate. The charity continues to advocate for an optimal benchmark for an Integrated Care Pathway, with the aim of improving mental health and wellbeing for all involved.
b) continuing to develop purposeful relationships with key researchers studying the benefits of nature in addressing trauma related mental illness. This includes exploring the most appropriate methods of measuring progress of patients and to publish the results and so enhance the knowledge base. We are also developing links with researchers who look for solutions to help people with post traumatic stress and prolonged grief disorders.
c) proactively seeking to improve a deeper understanding by the public of the relational causes of self-harm and suicide and mental illness in general, and sharing approaches on how to reduce the societal burden of mental illness through therapies in nature. We work with others to address the concerns surrounding specific use of the term “personality disorders” for victims of complex trauma, which disproportionately impacts women.
Our Activities, Achievements and Performance
The charity continued developing its woodlands location during the year, and this will make a significant long term contribution to helping on their path to recovery from post traumatic stress and other trauma associated challenges.
This work involved our volunteers planting an additional 750 trees and carrying out basic infrastructure work. The construction work has contributed to a significant improvement in drainage at the location, and to creating a new access as well as pathways around the woodlands, and focused efforts to save water. These environmental improvements will help enhance therapeutic experiences of service users as well as contributing to improved health and safety.
The charity also addressed its long term energy challenge of reducing its carbon footprint by installing a solar array on the main building, adding to the cumulative carbon reduction achieved through the tree planting programme.
The charity also developed deeper relations and partnerships with a number of relevant statutory and third sector organisations.
• Continued its relationship with the School of Medical and Health Sciences at Bangor University to share experiences of how immersion in nature can heal the entrenched trauma, and to discuss with the mental health nursing students a better understanding of the scope of the Foundation’s work.
• Built a framework of understanding with the Mental Health Division of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to develop the idea of an Integrated Care Pathway for people with mental health challenges, arising primarily as a result of trauma. This should form the basis of a pilot for using the natural world as a therapy for people who would most likely benefit from such support.
• Contributed to the work of the Public Advisory Group on PTSD, linking with Traumatic Stress Wales (NHS) and the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH)
• Worked steadily to build key strategic relationships via social media to help it address it objective of improving the public understanding of the relational causes of self-harm, suicide and the associated mental health challenges.
• A grant from the Local Nature Partnership helped the Foundation to enhance the biodiversity at its woodland location, which will underpin the long term nature therapy work.
• A grant from Arbed am Byth enabled the charity to install renewable energy infrastructure at its location, contributing to a reduced carbon footprint.
• The charity received an award from UnLtd along with ongoing social enterprise development and training support.
• Commissioned a Consultant to carry out an Environmental and Sustainability Action Plan, together with preparing an Environmental Policy and Eco-Code, supported with a grant from Wales Co-operative Centre (now Cwmpas).
The Charity Commission for England and Wales portal has a complete version of the Anna Phillips Foundation 2021 Annual Report.