On 21st August the BCT treatment and education teams arranged a day out to Wordsworth Grasmere as part of our aftercare programme for service-users that have accessed our gambling harms support programme. As well as service-users we were also happy to have Julie, the Aftercare Coordinator from BetKnowMore, attend. The aftercare programme is offered by BCT in collaboration with BetKnowMore so it was great to bring the two teams together, along with the service-users.
The day consisted of a tour through William Wordsworth’s cottage in which he wrote some of his most famous work, a look through the Wordsworth Museum, and workshops that looked at the meaning of letters, and the relevance Wordsworth’s writing still holds in the present day, particularly the around topics of emotional wellbeing, connection with others, and the therapeutic elements of being in nature. To finish the day the group took a walk around the beautiful Lake District.
The day received great feedback. It was an intriguing, eye-opening and, at times, emotional day. BCT look forward to further collaboration with the team at Wordsworth Grasmere in the future and hope to provide more days out like this to our service-users as part of their ongoing support with the service.
Feedback from the day:
‘The day spent at Wordsworth Grasmere was a great opportunity to bring together our service-users and team members from BCT and BetKnowMore. I took so much away from the day, both from a professional viewpoint regarding the development of our support offer, but also on a personal level. Looking at the work of Wordsworth and its relevance to today was fascinating and therapeutic. It evidenced how important nature, meaningful activities, and connecting with others is, to support long-term recovery for those accessing our service. I really look forward to being able to provide more opportunities similar to this for our service-users in the future’. – Lauren Campbell, Treatment Manager
‘Great day yesterday, I must be honest I was a bit sceptical about what to expect as I’d never heard of William Wordsworth before and just didn’t think it would be my cup of tea, well wasn’t I wrong! I loved every minute and would highly recommend it. Not only learning about Wordsworth, but the setting was beautiful and so peaceful.’ – Attendee
‘Thank you again for the invitation. I found the day exceeded my expectations as I learnt a lot about not only Wordsworth but myself also. I think this is an excellent day for clients and I will be sure to recommend it. As always spending time with others with Lived Experience was a pleasure as it genuinely is a family of kindness and support for all. Geoff and Susan were brilliant hosts and made me feel very at home.’ – Julie Martin – Aftercare Coordinator, BKM
‘The experience is eye opening. Seeing where the poems were written really opens up your mind to the importance of connecting more with nature and switching off from technology. I really took a lot away from how I connect with people and how moving forward I am going to keep more cards and treasure them more because there’ll be a point when they are all I have to look back on.’ – Attendee
Just want to say a massive thank you from myself and Michael for Monday. We both had such a wonderful day, we really enjoyed it. For us the whole day was perfect and a very therapeutic and valuable part of the aftercare we are receiving.
We would also like to thank Geoff, Susan and the academic team. The way the whole day was organised and delivered was outstanding. We gained so much from the experience and it’s opened a door to a new interest for us both, we will definitely visit Wordsworth again. Their love for what they do has inspired us. It was a very emotional day, one that we will remember with a smile and warm heart.
Thank you so much to the aftercare team, it was lovely to meet face to face. You all do amazing work which is very much appreciated and needed. – Attendees
‘I felt very privileged to have this opportunity in both a personal and working capacity. It was so nice to have a creative and natural space to open up in and share personal experiences well beyond gambling related harm but also take an interest and explore something new. Jeff and Susan’s passion and expertise for Wordsworth and the environment was infectious and it was obvious the day left a mark on everyone involved. I took so much more out of the day than I had expected to and look forward to hearing more on the experiences of others and we look to do more with the Trust in the future. Thank you to everyone involved.’ – Nicola Jaques, Families support worker
It was wonderful to participate in and observe the ‘letters’ workshop delivered by Jeff and Susan and the wider Wordsworth Grasmere team and academic the facilitators who steered the activities during our visit. I really enjoyed Dove Cottage, the museums attractions, and the workshop itself and seeing how the experience moved people through their exploration of how written words, both from the past during Wordsworth era and more modern times from personal account, provided a cathartic and educational enlightenment to the power and meaning of words. It was a special collaboration that captured the imagination of our group. Thank You. – Attendee
