We are proud to announce that the award winning environmental author and journalist George Monbiot has recently joined our charity as patron. A key element of our work is centred around bringing young people into closer connection with the natural environment, so George is a perfect fit for our charity.

We have been very busy at Sirona Therapeutic Horsemanship over the past year with a growing waiting list for our provision from young people experiencing isolation, unable to attend school and struggling with their mental health. In order to try and meet some of this increasing demand we have been diversifying into other activities related around the natural environment and horticulture. A small pond has been dug in the orchard garden and populated with pond plants which are already attracting more birds, dragonflies and other wildlife, with two wood ducks recently spotted investigating the area. It has been shown through research how important time in the natural environment is for both our mental and physical health with it claimed that if you spend 90 minutes of your day outside in a wooded area, there will be a decrease of activity in the part of your brain typically associated with depression. Spending time in nature not only reduces blood pressure, anxiety, and increases happiness, but it also reduces aggression, ADHD symptoms, improves pain control and boosts the immune system (Environmental Research 166 (2018) 628–637). This is especially important in the case for young people who since the Covid-19 pandemic have been spending even more time indoors on electronic devises and disconnected from nature.

Acknowledging our important work in connecting young people with animals and the environment George Monbiot writes; “If ever you need to restore your faith in humanity, take a look at what Sirona is doing. It provides love and healing in a world that too often seems cruel and uncaring.”

You can find out more about George Monbiot’s work here https://www.monbiot.com/