Mental Health Awareness Week: Photographer on the healing power of nature
A photographer from County Durham is encouraging others to get out and enjoy the natural world for the benefit of their mental health.
I met up with Jules Brookes on a bright spring day, in woodland known for its display of bluebells. It's in places like this that Jules has been exploring nature for the past year, and capturing its delights with her camera.
Jules had studied photography when she was younger, but she put it to one side as other priorities took over. Jules lives with depression and at the start of the pandemic, she decided to re-visit her passion, as a creative outlet during lockdown.
More than a year on, and Jules says her life has been transformed.
As well as sharing her images on social media, Jules has seen some of her pictures published in regional newspapers.
As recognition of her work grows, Jules told me that the real benefit is simply heading into the natural world.
Already, photography is more than a hobby for Jules and in time, she hopes to make it her career. As we stand amid the emerging bluebells, Jules tells me she is simply grateful for the power of nature and is urging others to explore it too.