Brigit’s Garden has been named the winner of the Nature Education and Wellbeing Award at the Powerscourt Estate’s inaugural Working with Nature Awards.
This new national awards programme celebrates individuals, groups, and organisations across Ireland making significant contributions to the protection and restoration of nature.
Brigit’s Garden has received the award for its outstanding nature-based education programmes and their work to promote wellbeing through their sustainable and restorative gardens.
The award highlights Brigit’s Garden’s unique approach to combining environmental learning with mental and physical wellbeing.
The Working with Nature Awards were created to honour those having a tangible impact in four key categories: Pollinators, Biodiversity and Rewilding, Nature Media, and Nature Education and Wellbeing.
The awards were judged by a distinguished panel, including Éanna Ní Lamhna, biologist and environmental consultant; Duncan Stewart, environmentalist and broadcaster; and Alex Slazenger, head gardener at Powerscourt Gardens.
These judges brought a wealth of expertise, passion, and dedication to protecting nature, ensuring that recipients were selected for both their impact and integrity.
"We are absolutely thrilled to receive this inaugural award," Jenny Beale, director at Brigit’s Garden, said at the event.
"It is a wonderful recognition of the hard work and passion our team has poured into creating nature-based experiences that educate, inspire, and promote wellbeing. We are deeply grateful to Powerscourt and the judging panel for selecting us as a winner."
Among the education programmes at Brigit’s Garden is its standout QQI Level 6 Forest School Leadership course, which trains educators and practitioners in leading nature-based learning experiences.
New courses are set to begin this August in Galway and Kildare, continuing the mission to equip more people with the skills to connect children with the natural world.
This award affirms Brigit’s Garden’s standing as a national leader in environmental education and reinforces its mission to connect people of all ages with nature in a meaningful, healing, and joyful way.
For more information about Brigit’s Garden, visit www.brigitsgarden.ie
