About ARC

ARC supports people to access and engage with nature and community to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.

ARC delivers projects that support people to access and engage with nature

Sessions with adults in nature for mental health and wellbeing

Supporting children and young people to engage with nature

Creating or transforming garden and woodland spaces

Providing services to support other organisations

Wellbeing and Nature

There is mounting evidence that being in nature can make positive contributions to mental and physical health and wellbeing. Helping people to create and sustain such open spaces is empowering for individuals and helps to build stronger communities.

Meet the Team

Anna Hargrave

Director

Anna is passionate about addressing the wider determinants of health as evidenced by her most recent roles as Chief Population Health Officer in Coventry and Warwickshire and Chief Commissioning and Strategy Officer at GambleAware. She looks forward to contributing to the development of ARC and the support it gives to people to improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Naomi Nicholson

Director

Naomi has a background in regulatory frameworks and performance, in the education and health sectors. She now works as a freelancer and supports a mentoring programme for girls. She is looking forward to connecting more with the local community through her involvement with ARC and sharing her skills and experience

Chris Golby

Director

Chris is a big advocate of using tech as an enabling tool for helping people. He has a background in computer science (BSc and industry experience of software engineering) and a PhD from Warwick University in Digital Healthcare, where he also stayed on as a Research Fellow, working on research projects with leading universities and the NHS. Chris is looking forward to bringing his skills to ARC and recently joined the Board in September 2023

Lucie Cox

Freelancer

Lucie divides her time between designing landscape schemes and various landscape based projects in Warwick and Leamington. She started as a valued volunteer with ARC in 2018 and now co-facilitates ‘Packmores Community Garden’ and the ‘Arts in Nature’ projects. Lucie is passionate about helping wildlife thrive and introducing nature connection techniques into the creative and Green Care sessions she works on. She is linked with the Friends of Priory Park group and Hill Close Gardens in Warwick.

Kate Haines

Freelancer

Kate qualified as a teacher in the 1990’s and has spent time teaching in primary schools in Africa, the Middle East, Australia and the UK. She currently works as the Foundry Wood education officer leading environmental education sessions at Foundry Wood. She is also a trained Forest School Leader and runs sessions for preschoolers. Kate is passionate about getting children outdoors in all weathers so they can connect with nature and the seasons.

Agnes Ashbell

Freelancer

Agnes has spent most of her working life immersed in nature, teaching practical and emotional skills to young people, children and adults. As coach, guide and counsellor, she spent years running intensive, wilderness-based personal development courses for young people referred through the criminal justice system, leading expeditions in the mountains, on rivers and the sea. She is a Forest School Leader with a talent for mentoring children, young people and adults using nature connection, music and bushcraft skills. She supports delivery of ARC’s Youth Mentoring in Nature, Children’s Forest Project and Wellbeing in Nature courses.