Phoenix Futures is a UK wide third sector charity, employing approximately 600 staff, which supports people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. They provide specialist therapeutic services to communities - including prison communities - through medical and self-referral at their residential centres, supported living programmes and outreach.
Phoenix Futures, formerly known as Phoenix House, was established in 1968 in Portsmouth. In 2005, Phoenix launched the Conservation Therapy Programme, which used connection to the natural environment to aid participant recovery. This evolved into their current Recovery Through Nature (RTN) programme, which is overseen by their Environmental Sustainability Manager. RTN provides opportunities for people in recovery from alcohol and/or drug abuse to engage with nature and conservation projects, often implementing NBS solutions as part of the programme. New Oakwood Lodge, Derby is one of seven UK sites run by Phoenix Futures offering residential therapy.
There are three strands to the RTN programme:
- Conservation projects that take place within the grounds of their seven UK sites.
- Complimentary conservation work, which supports other agencies on their land to implement their own NBS strategies.
- Growing fruit and vegetables onsite to build a ‘from seed to table’ culture and awareness.
Nature-based Solutions and Therapeutic Benefits
The key motivation for implementing NBS solutions at Phoenix Futures sites is the therapeutic benefits it brings to recovering individuals through their Recovery Through Nature (RTN) programme. The RTN programme uses the therapeutic benefits of ‘green immersion’ to support recovery.
“From a therapeutic perspective, the idea of the programme is very much of building, self-confidence and self-esteem through contacts and working with nature. Actually being in that green environment and also the idea of producing something positive and tangible.”
As well as providing opportunity for the Phoenix Future RTN participants to engage with natural environments, NBS projects provide a focus away from the process of recovery itself.
“There is also this idea of normalisation. Coming out and getting involved in a day of doing conservation or planting, you know we're not there sitting talking about recovery.”
It is important for Phoenix Futures that the RTN projects fulfil an actual, environmental need which produces tangible outcomes.
“What we don't want to do is just in effect green wash things, and just do things for the sake of doing it. We want to do genuine conservation projects, and we like the idea of ongoing conservation projects.”
Nature-based solutions projects
Examples of NBS project at Phoenix Futures include:
- The Great Reserve initiative - planting and nurturing giant sequoia trees.
- Biodiversity work at the New Oakwood Lodge site to create a wilder, more nature rich environment for RTN participants.
- Growing fruit and vegetables on-site.
NBS Approach
The Recovery Though Nature programme, which was instigated by the Environmental Sustainability Manager in 2005, was the catalyst for Phoenix Futures engaging in NBS. The programme began at their Sheffield base but now runs nationally across their bases from Aberdeen to Essex.
The NBS approach adopted by the Phoenix Futures has the following elements:
1. Deep understanding of NBS benefits
“They [participants] like the ownership of the activity and the meaning behind the activity, the purpose behind the activity. Rather than just the right, we're going to plan giant Sequoia seeds today, it's explaining why we're doing it... Looking to conserve that endangered species...”
2. Recovery through Nature
“It’s in the valleys and the green immersion, the hidden process of being in that environment... it's the whole idea is that it's there to... support the recovery of an individual.”
3. Collaborating for NBS
“Having partnerships with organisations such as Natural England or the Wildlife trusts, it's good for us. It's something we really need to develop, I would argue, and probably promote a little bit more. But it's good. It puts us in a positive light.”
NBS Barriers
According to Phoenix Futures, the barriers to NBS implementation in include:
Financial constraints
Financial constraints have restricted what the RTN can engage in. For example, rising travel costs for offsite projects has forced RTN to restrict the use of their minibus and focus on local projects.
Tensions when working with partners
Working with partners who are not willing to try things or accept things may fail, can contribute to tensions. An element of ‘being brave’ and trying things out’ is required that sometimes does not align with risk averse attitudes.
Dependency on contract bidding and external funding
As the RTN programme offers practical help for NBS implementation at external organisations, some of service delivery relies on bidding for contracts. If those service contracts are lost, then that aspect of the RTN programme cannot continue. A contract can be lost due to transport and access issues or host organisations turning to alternative providers for financial reasons.
Sociocultural barriers
There has also been a cultural barrier when it comes to explaining the benefits of NBS to urban based partners.
NBS Enablers
Enablers to NBS implementation at the Phoenix Futures are:
NBS as an integral part of the service (recovery) model
The Environmental Sustainability Manager initially began the conversation around how nature could aid recovery, demonstrating that initial drive from existing staff members is important for setting up NBS within organisations.
Top management support for NBS projects
Support from the Chief Executive was also instrumental in embedding NBS at Phoenix Futures as part of RTN. Managerial support was considered effective when it understood not just the benefit of NBS to individual projects, but also the wider organisational impact too.
Making the NBS concept relatable
An important factor in NBS implementation was making the concept relatable to staff who did not usually engage with nature themselves:
“When I start boring people about sort of biodiversity and ecosystems, they just glaze over really. But if you say - hedgehogs - we can focus on; we're doing this to the biodiversity here to benefit the hedgehog.”
Empower people to shape NBS projects
Empowering staff members to shape projects to their own passion and allowing them to explore nature through NBS was identified as a key to generating staff and RTN participant buy in and creating project momentum.
Collaboration and willingness to learn
A key success factor of these partnerships is the willingness for both parties to learn together and try new things. Whilst the RTN leaders are knowledgeable and experienced in NBS, finding new and innovative ways to problem solve individual NBS for specific sites is key to effective collaboration.
Learning points about NBS implementation
- When engaging in collaborative projects, it’s important to be mindful of the resources each party has. NBS collaboration isn’t about being resource intensive, it should be about finding natural solutions to problems that benefit all stakeholders involved.
- Effective disclosure is important. Being open and honest about resource and finance constraints can help project collaborators understand each other better and support outcomes that have tangible financial as well as environmental impact.
- It has been important to plan and synchronise the NBS project cycle with the nature cycle that works for your own land.
- Connection between history and nature can be as important as demonstrating the importance of increasing biodiversity and protecting endangered species.
“It's mystical. It's like stepping back in time. That sort of idea of history; the idea of the coppiced Hazel, which women and men would have worked in a in a working woodland. So trying to explain that this is a working woodland. It can be powerful.”
NBS implementation tips
- NBS implementation takes time. There may not be immediate results. There is a certain level of bravery needed to sit with that before seeing its positive impact.
- Passion is important when establishing NBS; it can’t just be a tick box exercise.
- Go and talk to people who are already implementing NBS. Go on a visit to their site if you can and see what it looks like in action. Become open and comfortable with learning about NBS.
- Developing NBS successfully relies on having committed people in place to implement it and trusting these people once they are in place.
- Implementing NBS needs to be embedded in organisational culture and ethos. If it is approached as part of a set of KPIs only, it will only be an ‘add on’ and not be truly effective.
“The top management gets the idea of the benefits to people but also the organisational benefits as well. Getting staff and management on board is sometimes challenging but it's great when you get people that really get it.”
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