Artemis Nature CIC
Facilitating nature connection and community
Our mission
In a nutshell, it is to bring nature back into our lives. To facilitate an appreciation for, connection with and love of plants, animals and the land, that nourishes us and in turn helps to protect the environment.
Nature connectedness refers to the way we relate to and experience nature. A strong connection with nature means feeling a close relationship or an emotional attachment to our natural surroundings. Research shows that people who are more connected with nature are happier in life and more likely to report feeling their lives are worthwhile. Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of poor mental health, in particular depression and anxiety.
Access to nature is inequitably distributed, with deprived areas, minority ethnic groups, and lower-income households having less access to nature, limiting health and well-being benefits for these communities. Nature is a fundamental need for human beings and lack of access to it has been shown time and again to have negative outcomes. Access to a clean, safe, and healthy natural environment is a human right, and the current inequality violates this principle. It has been argued that the separation between humans and nature is a major public health problem.
Our CIC aims to find ways of helping people who are denied access to nature to benefit from nature based interventions, to enhance wellbeing and to give people the tools to continue to connect with nature. The research regarding the positive effect of nature on wellbeing is so widely documented that it is vital that such a vital tool for wellbeing is made available to the people that need it most.
Who we are
We are team of plant-based professionals - Rachel and Guy Petheram and Cathy Hastie. - passionate about nature and determined to promote it and make it accessible to all.
Together we have worked on a wide range of projects and collectively we bring considerable combined experience to support communities and individuals. Between us we have expertise in nature connection, wellbeing, plant knowledge, garden design, education, supporting unpaid carers, women in the workplace and workers in precarious employment.
You can read our profiles at the bottom of the page.
What we do
Activities to support wellbeing, such as nature-based art, guided walks and mentoring
Creative and educational workshops, such as plant knowledge and wildlife gardening
Planning and planting new greenspace, such as mini-forests and community gardens
Who we work with
Small local groups to broader communities, such as carers or workers in low paid jobs
Healthy and connected individuals are at the heart of resilient vibrant communities
Fostering of young people’s connection with nature is essential, for them and society
Supporting workers wellbeing helps them to thrive and build successful companies
Rachel Petheram
Rachel worked as an academic in higher education for 20 years and spent a lot of that time mentoring and supporting students.
She is now a floral artist and nature connectedness facilitator. She has been trained in counselling skills and and mental health first aid and runs workshops and one to one sessions through her business Catkin.
She has a therapy garden and studio based in the walled garden of an Elizabethan stately home in Lincolnshire where she uses nature and flowers for wellbeing sessions. Supporting people’s wellbeing through nature and nature connection is her particular mission.
She recently worked with Lincolnshire County Council to provide art and nature wellbeing workshops for unpaid carers and she has a particular interest in supporting women to find their identity and power.
Contact: Rachel@artemisnaturecic.co.uk
Guy Petheram
Guy has worked in horticulture and garden design for over 20 years, and been involved in every aspect of countless landscape projects, from planning and feasibility to sourcing and project management. He has exhibited at Royal Horticultural Shows, written about plants and gardens, and worked as an associate producer and horticultural project manager on TV garden shows.
In recent years he has turned his attention towards education, teaching at Nottingham Trent University and running workshops in the East Midlands. He is a passionate advocate for plants, and the myriad benefits and value they can provide to individuals, communities and society as a whole. As such he now regularly runs tree and plant workshops, walks and talks.
Contact: Guy@artemisnaturecic.co.uk
Cathy Hastie
Cathy works in Higher Education as a lecturer and researcher and is doing a PhD which investigates how perceptions of menopause impact women in their workplace.
She is particularly passionate about supporting women in horticulture and the wellbeing of horticulturalists and is the current chair of the WFGA (Working for Gardeners Association). She has written a book on menopause in the workplace ‘Menopause Working’ and is a social activist focussing on gender inequality.
Contact: Cathy@artemisnaturecic.co.uk
