5 Minutes with Jo, Herts Police Wellbeing Team

About the Police Wellbeing Programme 

Q: Tell us a little about the wellbeing programme and how it came about? 

A: I have always been an outdoors person, particularly through my sport of Field Archery, which has taken me to some fabulous places both at home and abroad. When I’m in woodlands and forests, I feel relaxed, and I noticed how my fellow archers experienced that same sense of calm. 

This led me to study to become an Outdoor Therapist. During my studies, and continuing to develop my knowledge, I realised that within my role at Herts Police there wasn’t a provision like this for colleagues – somewhere that offered time, privacy and the opportunity to experience nature’s healing qualities. 

That’s where the idea for the programme began. 

The team behind it includes Ruth, a staff member with 36 years at Herts Police; Emily, a detective with more than 20 years’ service; myself, a PC with 35 years; and Sacha, a hugely valued retired officer with 28 years’ service who now works within our Retention and Pathways Team. 

We work incredibly well together, and I’m very grateful for their support and willingness to go along with some of the ideas I come up with! 

Q: Why is dedicated wellbeing support so important within policing?

A: There is so much demand, both externally and internally, on our colleagues, whatever their role. 

Research has shown that 90% of officers and staff are exposed to trauma. Many people think this only applies to those working on the frontline, but there are so many different forms of exposure. 

Our control room staff, for example, are often the first to hear traumatic calls from members of the public. There is also vicarious trauma, where people may not be directly involved in an incident but are affected through their role, including teams such as Corporate Communications who may cover significant incidents. 

It’s vital that we have a wide range of wellbeing opportunities and services available to help people through these experiences, while supporting a healthy workforce.

Why Woodhall Estate? And why outdoors?

Q: Why was Woodhall Estate the right environment for the sessions?  

A: Woodhall Estate is not only a beautiful and peaceful setting, but the staff are incredibly friendly and welcoming. 

For me, though, it’s also about the sense of community support. The Forest School setting provides the perfect starting point for our sessions, while the wider Estate gives us the opportunity to go on guided nature walks, create nature art, sit and read, chat and simply spend time outdoors. 

Importantly, we also have the privacy and confidentiality our team needs to give people a safe space to talk and debrief about issues affecting them.

Q: How does spending time outdoors support wellbeing?  

A: I could write a whole chapter on this! 

Research over many years has shown the benefits of spending time immersed in nature. Even 20 minutes in nature, whatever the season, can make a difference. 

Our sessions incorporate mindfulness and breathwork, which can help slow down the physical responses associated with stress, support better sleep and help calm reactive emotions such as anxiety and panic. 

Ultimately, nature is a powerful tool for wellbeing. 

About the Wellbeing Sessions  

Q:  What happens during a typical wellbeing session? 

A: The emphasis is very much on having 2.5 hours in nature to rest and reset. It isn’t a team-building exercise. 

We might introduce techniques such as breathwork and mindfulness, go on a guided nature walk or take a longer walk around the Estate, simply soaking up the surroundings. 

There are also garden games, and we actively encourage people to put their phones away. In fact, it’s amazing how little we actually see people on their phones during the sessions! 

The activities change from month to month. We’ve done nature art, including making coasters using leaf prints, gratitude cards and pebble painting. 

For some people, sitting around the firepit, sharing a picnic and simply talking or reading is what they need. 

The programme also brings together the different expertise within our team. Emily is a trained Health Coach and provides advice around nutrition and lifestyle changes, while Ruth is one of the Force Menopause Leads and has worked tirelessly towards achieving organisational accreditation. 

We’ve held sessions for colleagues experiencing menopause, as well as family members supporting partners, giving people the opportunity to share experiences, ideas, hints and tips. 

Sacha is also developing grief first aiders, with the aim of offering bespoke support for those on a grief journey. 

We’re continuing to explore other areas too, including support for cancer survivors and carers, as well as men-only sessions, potentially using fallen branches for simple whittling activities.

What the teams have to say

Q: What sort of feedback have you received?

A:The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with some people returning for additional sessions as they continue their recovery. 

One attendee told us: 

“The setting was amazing and really enabled me to completely relax and switch off. I found the breathwork techniques particularly helpful, and it was a great reminder of everything we have to be grateful for.” 

Another described the session as a “brilliant and insightful, worthwhile morning”, while another said: 

“You are providing an amazing wellbeing tool for all in the organisation and I for one will look to come again.” 

The programme is now in its second year, and bookings have exceeded the demand from year one. Much of that has come through word of mouth, and we’ve seen some of the hardest-to-reach colleagues begin to open up and accept the support available to them. 

It has also helped, alongside other projects, to break down some of the stigma around mental health in policing. 

Q: Is there a particular moment that has stayed with you?

A: There are several, but one stands out, partly because it was quite funny! 

A long-serving officer came along with his team, who work with victims on a daily basis. It’s fair to say he was set in his ways, and his first sentence when we met was: 

“I’m not hugging trees, nor singing around the firepit and I’m not doing anything woo woo!” 

By the end of the session, he had marshmallow all over his chin from making s’mores and was quite emotional. He told us he had never felt so relaxed and asked if he could come again, or even camp on the site! 

His feedback was that everyone should have the experience, particularly those who might be struggling, because he felt more connected and more confident talking about his own difficulties. 

He has since returned and even volunteered to help if we need people to support others in the future. 

People & Partnerships 

Q: How important are partnerships like the one with Woodhall Estate?  

A: They’re essential. 

Coming from a service background and having worked in multi-partnership and community teams, I know how important it is to build these relationships. 

We’ve learnt so much from meeting the team at Woodhall and even from watching your social media content. It’s also very humbling for our colleagues to hear about the joint work that has gone into providing this space for them. 

We’re incredibly grateful for the privacy that Woodhall affords us and for creating an environment where colleagues can feel psychologically safe to talk. 

Working with partner agencies and external organisations helps us build the provision of support available to our colleagues. Whatever their role, every person within the constabulary plays an important part in providing a service to the people of Hertfordshire. 

Q: The programme also includes qualified wellbeing dogs. What role do they play?

A: We’ve had wellbeing dogs within the constabulary for around 10 years. They were originally introduced to work with vulnerable victims of crime, but when I began developing wellbeing within Herts Police, I asked to trial using the dogs internally, attending debriefs and station visits after incidents. 

The demand eventually outgrew our resources, so we’re now increasing the provision. 

The science behind the impact of dogs on stress and wellbeing is increasingly recognised, and the approach is now offered by many police forces through the National Police Wellbeing Service. 

Myself and Emily, along with our dogs Stan and Winnie, have completed training with Dogs Trust and assessments with national assessors. 

And now, whenever we’re out around the county, we’re asked: “Where’s the dogs?!” 

For the wellbeing sessions, the dogs can provide comfort to people who are emotional. For some, focusing on the dog while talking can also make difficult conversations feel easier because they don’t have to maintain eye contact.

Looking Ahead 

Q: What are your hopes for the programme in the future? 

A: We’d very much like to increase the number of sessions in 2027. 

At the moment, we offer two days per month throughout the year. While sessions are booked up, the winter months tend to be quieter, so we’re exploring the possibility of running the programme from March to September, with three days per month. 

There’s no need to fundamentally change what we offer during the sessions – the environment and the opportunity to simply step away and reset are already incredibly valuable. 

We’re also exploring the idea of colleagues who attend while signed off work eventually becoming volunteers, helping with the programme or potentially supporting the Estate with gardening. Giving people a sense of purpose while they recover could be incredibly powerful.

Q: Finally, what would you like the wider community to understand about wellbeing in policing?

A: Wellbeing support is vital in policing. 

Many of our colleagues are exposed to horrific incidents, calls and investigations and sometimes we forget the person behind the uniform or badge. 

They have families. They have their own challenges. They are people too. 

Providing the right support for employees can help reduce sickness and give people the tools to support themselves, and, in turn, their families. 

For us, having a place like Woodhall Estate where people can step away, breathe, talk, walk and simply be outdoors is an important part of that support. 

A shared space to rest and reset.

We’re proud to welcome the Herts Police Wellbeing Team to Woodhall Estate and to play a small part in creating a space where officers and staff can pause, reconnect with nature and look after themselves. 

For us, it’s another example of how the Estate’s landscape can be used not only for farming, conservation and recreation, but to support the people and communities around us. 

We’re also exploring the idea of colleagues who attend while signed off work eventually becoming volunteers, helping with the programme or potentially supporting the Estate with gardening. Giving people a sense of purpose while they recover could be incredibly powerful.