1329: Sensing Nature Guided Walks at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum Lead by Visually Impaired Volunteer Guides

<div>Time to explore the wonderful surroundings of Westonbirt, the National Arboretum as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey joins one of their recent Sensing Nature Guided walks lead by two visually impaired Volunteer guides.</div> <div><br> </div> <div>The Sensing Nature Guided Walks were also part of 'Westonbirt Unseen’, a collaboration between Westonbirt, Andy Shipley of Natural Inclusion, Sarah Bell of Sensing Nature, and the University of Exeter. This initiative is part of the wider ‘Re-Storying Landscapes for Social Inclusion’ project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.</div> <div><br> </div> <div>Through the Sensing Nature Guided Walks Westonbirt's visually impaired guides lead bookers through an immersive and interactive sensory experience that aims to shift their perception, enjoy the arboretum at a slower pace and explore the trees of Westonbirt through their nonvisual senses.</div> <div><br> </div> <div>Toby's visit to Westonbirt begins with an interview with Mark and Mike the two visually impaired Volunteer Guides to find out why they wanted to get involved with the project and lead sighted people around Westonbirt on The Sensing Nature Guided Walks. Their involvement in the setup of the walks and how much of a collaborative process it was working on the walks with input from everyone involved. Then Mark and Mike went on to explain a bit more about the exercises that participants get involved in on the walks to use their senses apart from their sight to get closer to the trees, smells and sounds that are all around them in Westonbirt.  <br> <br> </div> <div>Toby also captured elements of the sensing Nature Guided Walk along with some of the exercises mark and Mike invited bookers to do on the walk such as closing their eyes, feeling the ground through their feet, feeling the wind, listening to the sounds around them along with the smells of the trees, grass and leaves. In another exercise where Mark asked bookers to take a picture and memory of Westonbirt by looking around them and then