Mums Matter - Winter Light, Shared Warmth, and a Gentle Goodbye

This week’s Mums Matter - Nature & Wellbeing session carried a very particular feeling - one shaped by the season, the setting, and the knowledge that this would be the final in-person session for the group.

Delivered by Time to Connect CIC, in partnership with Forest Frontiers and supported by Bolton CVS, the session brought mums and children back into the forest on a cold but dry winter afternoon - a fitting place to pause, reflect, and simply be together one last time.

As Jan shared afterwards:

“We certainly knew that winter was still here - the temperature was cooler and we were all feeling it, but it wasn’t raining.”

And in winter, sometimes that is the small victory worth celebrating.

Noticing the light returning

One of the first observations of the day was something subtle, but deeply meaningful.

“It’s now lighter every evening,” Jan noted, “which helps mums, children - and us - regulate our biological clock and boosts our immune system.”

That small shift in daylight felt symbolic. A reminder that even in the heart of winter, change is happening quietly beneath the surface.

For many parents, particularly those with young children, winter can feel long and heavy. Noticing the return of light offered a gentle moment of hope - a silver lining shared by the whole group.

A session shaped by the season

Because of the cold, the session was intentionally kept to one hour - a thoughtful adjustment that reflected the needs of both mums and children.

“It was felt that this was more appropriate for the people there - and everyone agreed.”

Rather than packing in activities, the session allowed space for natural flow. It wasn’t tightly structured, nor was it uncontrolled. Instead, it was guided by the rhythm of the forest and the people within it.

“It was a joining kind of activity,” Jan explained. “Different in feel - not the same kind of closure we had in the dads’ group - but still meaningful.”

Sometimes endings don’t need formality. Sometimes they simply need presence.

A warm welcome in a cold forest

When families arrived, they were met with an inviting scene: a welcoming fire, a canopy overhead, and the comforting smells of food already being prepared.

Hot apples and bananas warmed gently near the fire, while Julie was on hand with hot chocolate, tea, and biscuits.

“It’s always great to share food, isn’t it?” Jan reflected. “Very comforting in cold outdoor weather.”

Food has a quiet power in community spaces. It slows people down, invites conversation, and signals care. On this cold afternoon, it set the tone perfectly.

Children ready for winter - and loving it

The children arrived bundled up in a rainbow of winter gear - bright playsuits, woolly hats, gloves, and wellington boots.

“They were well equipped for the weather and, as always, didn’t seem to feel it,” Jan smiled.

As is so often the case, the children embraced the cold far more easily than the adults. For them, the forest was full of opportunity - not discomfort.

They explored gently at first, then with growing confidence, crunching through wet leaves, climbing over uneven ground, and moving freely with their mums close by.

Embracing risk, safely

One of the most powerful elements of the session was the balance between freedom and safety.

Children were allowed - if they wished - to place sticks on the fire, under close supervision and clear boundaries.

“It was really good to see children allowed to take that little bit more risk,” Jan said. “They didn’t find it intimidating - they found it fun.”

This kind of managed risk is central to children’s development. It builds confidence, trust, and awareness, while helping parents feel more comfortable stepping back just enough.

The cold, the fire, the uneven ground - none of it deterred the children. Instead, it invited engagement.

Sensory exploration in winter

As the session unfolded, the forest offered its own learning opportunities.

Children scrunched through wet leaves - a sensory experience that supports emotional regulation and physical development. They paused to look closely at mushrooms and fungi growing on fallen wood, noticing textures, shapes, and colours.

“There was sensory awareness everywhere,” Jan shared. “Picking up leaves, exploring dead wood, looking closely.”

The uneven terrain - tree stumps, roots, dips in the ground - became a natural obstacle course, helping children develop balance, coordination, and spatial awareness.

“That unevenness is a good thing,” Jan reflected. “It helps them with balance and coordination.”

Freedom to roam, together

Throughout the session, children were given freedom to explore, always with their mums nearby.

There was no pressure to stay in one place or follow a set activity. Families moved organically - some lingering near the fire, others wandering further into the trees.

This freedom allowed each mum–child pair to find their own rhythm, reinforcing one of the core principles of Mums Matter: connection looks different for everyone.

A thoughtful ending, without formality

Unlike the closing of the Dads Matter programme, this final session didn’t include a structured reflection or formal goodbye.

And that felt right.

“It was just a different feel,” Jan explained. “Probably more led by the forest school team.”

Instead of words, the closure came through shared experience - warmth, movement, food, and time spent together.

Before families left, Julie gifted each mum a copy of her own Wellasaurus in Nature book - a thoughtful and practical keepsake to continue the connection beyond the sessions.

“It will be a welcome addition to their bookshelves,” Jan said.

Julie also gently reminded mums about the upcoming 30-minute webinar, inviting them to continue the conversation around connection, nature, and parenting - including the role of boundaries that had been discussed in previous weeks.

The mums were open, receptive, and appreciative.

A quiet legacy

As the group gradually drifted away, the forest returned to its winter stillness.

There was no grand ending - but there was a sense that something meaningful had taken place.

Over the weeks, mums and children had shared:

• Muddy boots and warm drinks

• Quiet moments and loud laughter

• Creative play and gentle movement

• Cold days and growing light

They had built confidence, community, and connection - not through perfection or performance, but through showing up, week after week.

“This is me signing off,” Jan said at the end of her reflection.

And in many ways, the session felt exactly like that - not an ending, but a soft pause, with threads that will continue long after the programme itself.

Looking forward

As the mums move on from the forest sessions and into the next phase of the programme - including the upcoming webinar - the foundations have been laid.

They leave with ideas, confidence, and a reminder that nature doesn’t need to be warm or tidy to be healing.

Sometimes, it just needs to be shared.