The hidden woodland near Bristol offering a lifeline to veterans and emergency workers
Watch Naryan Branch's report
War veterans and emergency workers have been finding support and companionship in a peaceful woodland near Bristol.
Hidden Valley Bushcraft, in Pensford, is the brainchild of ex-marine Nick Goldsmith and his wife Louise, a former detective constable.
Together, they have offered solace to frontline workers who need somewhere to escape the stresses of work.
Nick, who was diagnosed with complex PTSD, knows first-hand how challenging that work can be.
He said: "At my lowest moments, I woke up literally just here next to the fire once, clutching a litre bottle of rum, empty, with snow landing around me and it was the warmth from the fire that had kept me alive.
"If someone’s got something going on in their life, that’s with them every single day, they can’t escape it. Coming to this sort of environment can be really, really healing, and it’s just lovely to see.
"For me, it’s the single most important thing at work I think I’ve ever done. I get it, and sometimes that’s all it takes, is somebody in the right environment to sit across the campfire and look you in the eye and say 'I get it'."
From 2015, Hidden Valley Bushcraft has offered a Woodland Warrior programme, teaching nature-based skills like woodcraft, woodland management, group camping and cooking.
Now, thanks to a cash injection from the Blue Light Card Foundation - a new charity supporting emergency workers - Nick and Louise are opening a classroom where more teaching can happen.
Naomi Adie, from Tiverton, is the general manager at the foundation. An RAF veteran, she completed two tours of Afghanistan and understands the struggles frontline workers face.
She said: "To be in that sector, you are the type of person who wants to give. You always want to help other people, just battle on, just keep going.
“You have to have 10 to 15 minutes a day when you think ‘ahh, I just need to breathe’. A lot of these services can’t have 15 minutes.
"I want people to talk about their wellbeing as much as they talk about the weather, because that’s the only way people feel comfortable opening up."
According to the Blue Light Card Foundation, 90% of the blue light community has reported that their job has negatively impacted their wellbeing.
Meanwhile, 62 per cent have considered leaving their job because of how much it impacted their wellbeing day-to-day.
The foundation aims to raise up to £1 million a year to support projects like the Woodland Warrior programme to ensure the the blue light community, including under-served components such as Cave Rescue, Mountain Rescue and Blood Bikes, know help is available and where to find it.