Help create an Outdoor Hub for Mental Health & Creativity

We’re Michael Heron and Michael Bailey, and together we run You Matter Saddleworth CIC – a community-led project rooted in a shared mission: to support people with their mental health and wellbeing through connection, creativity, and nature.

Our work draws from both personal passion and professional experience. Michael Heron is a trained counsellor and therapist with nearly 15 years experience working in secondary education, private practice, and most recently on a mental health helpline as part of an employee assistance programme. He also has a background in youth work, is a qualified Level 3 youth worker, and has supported young people who don’t fit easily into mainstream education. His work extends to mediation, resolving neighbour disputes for a local housing association, and clinical supervision for staff in a domestic abuse charity.

Michael Bailey is a trained engineer and artist with a degree in creative design. He brings years of hands-on creative experience and currently works in a specialist school as a woodworking and design tutor for young people with complex emotional, behavioural and educational needs. He, too, is a qualified Level 3 youth worker and has a strong commitment to supporting young people through alternative education and creative engagement.

Nearly three years ago, we began shaping You Matter Saddleworth – Active Therapy with the idea of blending therapeutic support, creativity, and outdoor work to support mental health. Since then, we’ve made real progress. We’ve secured a site and initial funding to complete our Forest School Level 3 training, and to install a pathway so our woodland is easier to access for all.

With the help of volunteers and our local community, we’ve already removed large amounts of Himalayan balsam to allow native species a chance to recover, planted 345 saplings donated by the Woodland Trust, and cleared overgrown areas of the site. We’ve also chopped and processed fallen trees and branches that had previously made parts of the site unsafe or unusable. Bit by bit, we’re transforming the woodland into a space where people can come together, feel safe, and engage meaningfully with the natural world.

We’re now raising funds to develop an outdoor classroom and creative workshop – a welcoming, versatile space where we can deliver sessions that combine nature-based activities, creative workshops, skill-building, and mental health education. This will give people of all ages a chance to learn new skills, connect with others, and access support for their wellbeing in a relaxed and engaging environment.

Whether it’s laying the accessible path, watering saplings, splitting wood, picking balsam, or running a creative workshop – every small step we take brings us closer to a stronger, healthier community.

By supporting this campaign, you’re helping to build a space where people are seen, heard, supported, and given the opportunity to grow – mentally, emotionally, and practically.