This World Mental Health Day, we’re sharing powerful stories of lived experiences from our community that highlight the positive impact of connection, nature and shared experiences on mental wellbeing.
With the weather turning cooler and days becoming shorter, the Community Engagement team reflect on a busy summer. Despite some very hot days, the team have been leading walks and introducing more local communities to the beautiful South West Coast Path to groups that might not normally have the opportunity to get out, as well as those who draw benefit from the positive health and wellbeing impacts of walking the Path.
Guest writer Tom Lowe grew up on the South West Coast Path. Jam first by nature, cream first by nurture. When not walking, Tom works in education. You might bump into him around North Devon trying to figure out how to say “Buen Camino” in scone. Tom shares some reflections and lessons learned whilst walking on trails around the world.
Steve Church, Volunteer Path Rep and Planning Officer at the charity, describes the incredible work that was undertaken on the Path west of St Ives, to create a granite causeway in 2015. A great story of how partnership and passion combined to create a path improvement that is still appreciated by walkers a decade later!
For North Devon artist Jo Payne, the coast is both inspiration and muse. Drawing on the ever-changing skies, shimmering seas and dramatic landscapes that surround her home, Jo creates expressive, elemental artworks that capture the beauty and atmosphere of the coastline. Working primarily in acrylics, often enhanced with gold, silver or copper leaf and handmade collage materials, her process blends intuition with craftsmanship. Daily walks along the South West Coast Path and the North Devon coast provide a constant source of inspiration, from sweeping horizons and changing light to hidden coves, harbours and rugged headlands. Rather than painting specific locations, Jo absorbs the colours, textures and emotions of the coast, allowing them to emerge naturally through her work.
Sam Godfrey is a multidisciplinary artist, writer and curator currently studying for a PhD in Art History and Visual Culture by Practice at the University of Exeter. They work with textiles, sound and digital mediums to make large-scale installations that encourage touch, interaction and rest. As part of a new project, a poem and soundscape created by Sam has been installed as a QR code at the Ronald Duncan Writing Hut, which is located on the Coast Path as it passes from Marsland Mouth to Welcombe Mouth.
