Craig's Cabin Community Volunteers: Outdoor Wellbeing Charity of the Year

Craig's Cabin Community Volunteers (Charity No. 1205510) has been named Outdoor Wellbeing Charity of the Year for their innovative approach to promoting positive wellbeing through outdoor activities. Operating on a peer-support model rooted in lived experience, the charity provides empathetic, non-judgmental support to individuals facing mental-health and social challenges.

Nature-Based Wellbeing Programmes

The charity delivers a range of outdoor activities designed to improve mental health, reduce isolation, and build meaningful community connections. Their Forage for Knowledge initiative features exploratory woodland and heritage site visits that combine nature education with self-discovery and therapeutic outdoor engagement.

The Hidden Eden Wellbeing Project transforms a disused pocket park into a sensory community hub through regular small-group sessions, offering a supportive neighbourhood refuge. The project now includes Community Gardening sessions where local residents can maintain green spaces and grow their own produce, providing valuable support during cost-of-living challenges while encouraging physical activity and social interaction.

The charity also offers a range of workshops and heritage skills programmes designed to educate community members in practical skills that can help relieve financial pressures from the cost-of-living crisis, or simply provide opportunities to learn new abilities. The Keep it Clean with CCCV initiative organises monthly litter-picking and community clean-ups in partnership with environmental groups—improving local spaces and fostering civic pride. Additionally, the charity runs Men's Walk & Talk sessions on the last Sunday evening of each month, providing a safe, supportive environment for men to share experiences and strengthen mental wellbeing.

Accessible, Inclusive Support

All activities are completely free, supported by donations and fundraising to ensure accessibility regardless of financial status. Participation is entirely voluntary with no obligation to attend—removing pressure and stigma associated with seeking support.

Professional Standards

All volunteers, including leadership, undergo Enhanced DBS checks, with certified first-aid trained personnel ensuring participant safety during activities. This grassroots peer-support model functions as a form of "social prescribing," recommended by healthcare professionals as a complementary alternative to clinical mental-health services.

Recognised Excellence

Craig's Cabin has received numerous accolades including Outdoor NPO of the Year at the London and South East Prestige Awards, confirming their outstanding community impact and consistent service excellence.

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