A NATURE group based in Liskeard has inspired a powerful song about recovery, confidence and the healing impact of connecting with the outdoors.

The Story of the Rabbit and the Spinach was originally written as a poem by participants of Nature for Health, a nature-based activity group for older adults held at Trevillis House.

The group, which supports mental health and wellbeing through outdoor activities and creative projects, is run by Julia Mason, Molly Martin and Nicky Snape from Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s dementia and older people’s mental health team.

The poem was later transformed into a song by Miriam, a young adult who attends the Trust’s Healing by Nature group.

Miriam had previously written and performed a song at Trevillis House to mark the planting of a Sycamore Gap sapling, documenting her own recovery journey. She was subsequently invited to put the Nature for Health poem to music.

She said taking part in the groups had helped her reconnect with herself and others.

“Engaging and immersing myself within the group has been like taking a long reflective walk in nature with the part of me I thought I had lost forever,” she said. “Just like the seeds I have sown and nurtured, I feel I have grown in confidence and have learnt it's safe to connect with people again.”

Miriam added experiencing activities outside a clinical setting had helped her discover new ways to support her wellbeing.

Healing by Nature organiser Peta Temple said Miriam’s journey reflected the purpose of the project, adding she had grown in confidence, started a new university degree and was now using her voice to offer hope to others.

“She is a wonderful ambassador for the project and recently told me that she sees herself as a lighthouse, shining a light for others in recovery,” she said.