Step into the great outdoors and you’re sure to find one of the UK’s most valuable habitats; the hedgerow. Extending half a million miles throughout the UK, the modest hedge is a haven for wildlife providing food, shelter, and corridors through which wildlife can travel.

This Mental Health Week (13th – 19th May) we look at our connection to nature and how it can benefit our mental wellbeing. Helena, Outdoor Learning Teacher delves into the many years of research that has reported on the positive impact that nature has on mental health as well as sharing her very own top tips.

The incredible array of habitats found in the Heart of England Forest is helping to boost diversity for plants, animals, and fungi species. We monitor the different plants and animals with the help of volunteers. But why?

Accessing opportunities should be available to everyone, and volunteering should be no different. Ellie shares the importance of inclusivity and the work she is doing with young neurodiverse women in the Forest.

As we celebrate our five-year anniversary of working with the Redditch Ringing Group, we reflect on the birds we have recorded, key milestones, and what it means for some of Britain's red list species.

Lumber Jills was the name given to the Women’s Timber Corps, a specialist forestry branch of the Women’s Land Army, and we at the Heart of England Forest have our own Lumber Jills who make up 29% of the forestry team.