Wild About Wellbeing: NHS staff recharge at Knowsley Safari Park
Earlier this year, we launched a very special social prescribing programme in partnership with Knowsley Safari Park to support workplace wellbeing, which was made possible through NHS Charities Together (NHSCT) funding. As the 2024 sessions come to a close (with more planned for 2025), we celebrate the positive impact on staff who took part.
These half-day sessions delivered by our Occupational Health and Wellbeing Team have offered Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust staff and volunteers a chance to rejuvenate, connect with nature, and enjoy close-up wildlife encounters. Since starting a few months ago, the programme has been a great success, offering staff a refreshing break from daily routines and fostering a sense of wellbeing and renewal.
The social prescribing package is just one of several workplace wellbeing initiatives funded by NHS Charities Together in 2023 to be delivered by 2025.
"I just want to say a massive thank you on behalf of myself and my 11 colleagues who attended the Safari Park yesterday for the welling through wildlife experience.
We all had an absolutely amazing time, it was a huge boost to our mental health and well-being, our morale as a team and just our overall happiness. It honestly was so much fun and so beneficial."
What are the benefits of Wellbeing Through Wildlife?
Research shows that spending time outdoors and interacting with wildlife can greatly improve mental health by reducing stress and anxiety while boosting overall mood. Activities like nature walks, mindfulness exercises, and wildlife engagement during Wellbeing through Wildlife sessions have given participants the opportunity to relax and reconnect with themselves and their colleagues.
The Mental Health Foundation reports that 70% of adults believe being close to nature improves their mood, while 49% find it helps them manage stress. Additionally, 73% of UK adults have indicated that connecting with nature has been crucial for managing their mental health since the pandemic.
A standout activity for many who attended the sessions has been feeding and preparing lunch for the park's meerkats, whilst others loved the mindfulness sessions or the unique experience of riding on the park's "Baboon Bus". The bus which enables visitors to experience up close encounters with animals like lions, zebras, and rhinos, also took staff on a journey through the baboon enclosure, where playful primates hitched a ride on the roof and swang from ropes attached to the van's exterior.
The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, underscoring the significant benefits these sessions have had on wellbeing.
The video below offers a glimpse into what the day was like, showcasing the various activities and capturing how much it was enjoyed by staff who participated. (press play)
Clinical Team Manager, Emma Wilson, booked a handful of places for her team, who thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were somewhat surprised at how beneficial the session was to their sense of wellbeing. She told us:
“All staff that attended thought the day was really beneficial in terms of stress management, taking time for themselves and team building away from the work environment.
Some staff were open about being sceptical about the day, however all were pleasantly surprised and felt a sense of calm and relaxation following the session."
Christopher O'Connor, an STR Worker in Core and Cluster Rehabilitation who was relatively new to his role at the time of the wellbeing day said he found the experience ‘absolutely fantastic’, despite feeling a little uncertain at the start of the day.
"I have recently changed job roles from a quite stressful environment to a more relaxed position and I found it was an excellent opportunity for me to build a rapport and "get to know" my new working colleagues.
I really enjoyed the session with the meerkats most, helping feed them was fantastic and quite funny watching them taking the insects out of the tube and seeing them running around looking for more food.
I have never been the Safari Park before and found it very relaxing and an enjoyable day out. I would certainly go again with my family and would recommend the sessions to teams and individuals looking for a relaxation experience."
The funding from NHS Charities Together allowed us to fund over 400 places for staff. Due to the high level of interest from team leaders, our Wellbeing Service has collaborated with Knowsley Safari Park to offer additional sessions to staff at a discounted rate for teams interested in exploring this option further.
"We all had an absolutely amazing time, it was a huge boost to our mental health and well-being, our morale as a team and just our overall happiness. It honestly was so much fun and so beneficial.
Thank you so much to yourselves for putting on such an amazing experience, if any other opportunities like this come up we would absolutely love to be part of it!"
Michelle McLeod - St Helens LD Community Team
"It was a great day that all the team members who attended found very enjoyable and beneficial.
As the team lead it was a great opportunity for this very hard-working team to have some time together to relax and think about our wellbeing."
Janet Laine - Knowsley Care Home Liaison
We are committed to doing even more to support staff wellbeing
Enhancing the health, wellbeing, and support of our workforce is central to our charity’s mission. NHS Charities Together funding has also enabled us to fund Wellbeing on Wheels (an outreach facility in the shape of a big blue double-decker bus, providing NHS staff and volunteers a break from their daily routines), and the Occupational Health and Wellbeing Services’ campaign, ‘Pause for Thought,’ which has been nominated for several awards.
To help us continue this important work, we have introduced a workplace giving scheme which allows staff to donate the pennies from their monthly wage to Mersey Cares. All funds raised through this initiative will go towards supporting staff wellbeing and allowing us to offer more programmes like Wellbeing Through Wildlife.
Joanne Watson, Strategic Charity Lead for Mersey Cares said:
"We’re thrilled that NHS Charities Together supported this initiative, allowing staff to access a social prescribing programme designed to help them decompress, relax, and manage stress. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many staff members highlighting not only the wellbeing benefits but also the opportunity to strengthen connections with their teams. Looking ahead, we hope to expand these opportunities to reach even more staff across the Trust. To support these efforts, we encourage staff to participate in our workplace giving scheme, which raises funds exclusively for staff wellbeing."
We've included a selection of photographs from the sessions in the gallery below:
