A DALE woman’s dedication to helping people be more active in nature has been recognised.
Lucy Brenkley, from Barnard Castle, has been awarded a BEM (Medallist of the Order of the British Empire) for her services to forestry in the New Year’s honours.
In her role as active forests co-ordinator for Forestry England, Lucy, who is also chairwoman of Barnard Castle Lawn Tennis Club, has been assisting people with mild-to-moderate health conditions to meet new people and become more active through a programme she helped to create called Feel Good in the Forest.
The 33-year-old said: “It’s been a long six weeks since I got the letter. I swore mum and dad to secrecy because we were told not to tell anyone. My mum cried when she found out and I’m really humbled about it. I think I’m just doing my job, but I’m really proud.”
Working mainly out of Chopwell Forest, near Gateshead, the programme encourages people with physical or mental health challenges to become more active, giving them a reason to connect with nature.
Lucy, a former pupil at Teesdale School, said: “Feel Good in the Forest started as a pilot with the idea of getting more people into the forest and creating more opportunities for people to get to access it.
“I was part of the team that designed Feel Good in the Forest. We were looking to launch it in 2020 but because of covid it didn’t come online until 2021.
“The active forest programme started in 2014 and Chopwell Forest came on board in 2019. We started talking about Feel Good in the Forest in the September and I was part of the team that designed it.
“We started with a walking group and built it up with different activities including archery and volunteering – the crazier the better seems to work.
“We are probably touching thousands of people in terms of visitors to the forest and repeat visits and it is making a difference.
“One guy who came with severe anxiety was hardly able to talk to anyone. Two years down the line we’ve helped build his skills and he has just begun working for Forestry England.”
