In a world that buzzes with notifications, deadlines and artificial light, stepping outside can feel almost radical. Yet the simple act of walking amongst trees, listening to a stream or feeling sunlight on your skin reconnects you with something ancient and essential.

When nature is in such dire need of a helping hand, volunteering to support local efforts to actively implement nature recovery measures is a very effective way of getting all of these benefits and more in one go!

Combining fresh air, exercise and the good company of other members of the community is really rewarding, doubly so, if, at the same time, you can plant trees, put up bird and bat boxes, help establish orchards and organic market gardens, create new wild flower meadows, refurbish forest school facilities, prune community orchards and much more.

This, coupled with the opportunity to get up close and personal with the many nature recovery good news stories that are happening all around us and you have the makings of a properly nourishing experience that not only provides purpose and joy in the moment, but also has an immediate and tangible positive impact and a lasting legacy for nature.

I discovered this almost by accident, having in the past, like so many others, generally used my spare out of doors time racing around the coast and countryside running, biking, kayaking and the like, trying to cover as much distance as quickly as I could! Fun at the time, but it did not allow proper appreciation of the amazing landscapes whizzing by.

Having slowed down a tad, life increasing revolves around leading and being part of a very active and hands on community focused volunteer group called Force4Nature and it has taught me that if you have time and energy to spare, especially in light of where we are in terms of biodiversity collapse and nature depletion, there are other really important and arguably more rewarding ways of spending you precious time outdoors.

By way of an example, over past six months the Force4Nature team have actively been involved in an ambitious regenerative farming and nature project on The Flete Estate which will deliver a multitude of long term benefits for the tenant farmers, animals, crops and wildlife living on the land. One of my favourites is introducing individual or small stands of trees to large, formally grass only grazing fields that in time will produce crops of fruit and nuts, provide shade in summer, cover in winter, roosts for birds, bats, nooks and crannies for insects, not to mention the benefits of carbon sequestration and oxygen production! All without interfering with the important business of food production.

Another great example of simple measures having really important positive wider impacts for nature and water quality is the building of leaky dams on small water courses that are often too efficient ferrying run off into our rivers and estuaries. Slowing the flow by making the water work harder to get to where it wants to go by creating simple barriers of logs, brash and debris has an instant positive impact and over time creates more habitat for a multitude of important critters.

If you have the time, locally, there are countless community nature focused projects that you can get involved in and whilst it may take some experimentation to find the one for you, you will be richly rewarded from not only from the direct benefits of the fresh air, exercise and camaraderie but also from exploring, learning and the realisation that we all can genuinely make a practical contribution towards the kind of world we want to live in.

If you don’t have the time currently to connect with an established volunteer group, fear not, there are a hundred and one ways of contributing (and there are so many unsung heroes who do) from picking up litter, taking your secateurs on a dog walk to clear brambles from a foot path to letting your garden turn a little bit wilder, it all helps make the world a better place.

For more information on getting involved with Force4Nature please visit www.tillthecoastisclear.co.uk