Nature is the mind blowing moments of seasons and cycles. Its the small pockets in a bustling city, the plants on windowsills and the vast open spaces of the countryside. Nature is the excitement of seeing the starlings you fed and watered the year before, coming back with their young in large numbers squabbling over the endless amount of food. For some it is the mere familiar sound of the Canada geese honking in the air to tell them that it is that time of year again as they pass by.

Moving to Baxenden a few years ago, I discovered a disused railway line turned into a walkway for people and a home for nature, showing how nature can adapt and take over when left to its own devices. While walking the lines, an array of birds can be seen flying through the woodlands that surround the old lines including woodpeckers. In the early hours of the morning, a stag can be seen most days by the waters edge of the brook which runs through part of the woodlands that I have been lucky enough to spot one morning. To the unsuspecting walker, his coat blends so well he will be gone before more then a glimpse can be seen. The seasonal change can be quick to miss if not caught just on the right day to see the leaves burning up with oranges and reds. Flashes of grey can be caught between branches and bushes revealing that autumn is now fully here as they prepare for their winter months

As someone who enjoys nature and the quiet calmness it brings, I understand how nature can improve mental health. In autumn, there is the mystery the fog brings with it, the beginning of the frosty mornings to clear the lungs and the different kind of beauty that grips the area differently then summer. My own mental health has improved the more time I spend outside with the Myplace group or walking the many paths available. I have been lucky enough to have been brought up in Lancashire and to live where I currently do. As I have grown older, I have become more aware of the nature around me and can fully appreciate the beauty of it.

Autumn in Lancashire is beautiful and unnoticed in most parts this year. Gazing out at roads and houses, screens and paperwork, replacing the wonders of walks and adventures. Nature is still thriving, but they notice the lack of humans roaming their home. Animals still wait for those bits of dropped food and walkways flattened by our feet growing tall with grass once again. Nature in Lancashire is something that isn't to be taken for granted and should be cherished.