Scottish Tree Hugging Championships 2022

Written By Hugh Asher

Alasdair Firth won the overall competition
Photograph © Peter Jolly

We hosted the Inaugural Scottish Tree Hugging Championships yesterday on Friday 22nd July at Ardtornish as part of the Morvern Games Week.
The event was run in association with the World Tree Hugging Championships held annually in the HaliPuu Forest in Levi, Lapland, Finland.

The winner was Alasdair Firth (pictured), who lives locally on a woodland croft, and works for The Woodland Trust as a woodland ecologist, advising on the restoration of ancient woodlands.

The Events

The Tree Hugging Championships included three separate disciplines:

A woman hugging a tree

Image © Peter Jolly

  • Speed Hugging: Most trees hugged in one minute, each hug lasting a minimum of five seconds

  • Dedication: Most dedicated hug (showing presence, intention, love, respect etc.) of a specific tree of the participant’s choice, lasting a maximum of one minute

  • Freestyle: Most creative and innovative hug, style open to participant’s own interpretation, one tree only, lasting a maximum of one minute

Mission Statement of the Event

Whilst we aimed that all the judges, competitors and spectators (as well as us as the organisers!) should have a fun time, we also hoped to

A man hugging a tree

Image © Peter Jolly

  • Raise awareness of nature in the local and global community

  • Promote understanding about the benefits of trees for health

  • Increase appreciation of nature, near and far

  • Host a friendly, shared experience that can bring people together

    This was intended as light-hearted event, but there are many identified benefits to hugging trees!

Competition Judges

The Tree Hugging Championships was judged by a panel of independent judges who all have an interest in trees, the environment and ‘Green Health’:

Louise Emslie
Green Health Ranger, Cairngorms National Park (Cairngorms 2030: People and Nature Thriving Together Project)

Kate Willis
Green Party Councillor for Fort William and Ardnamurchan

Nic Goddard
Journalist and Nature-Based Eco-Artist

You can watch our highlights of the Scottish Tree Hugging Championships below:

Press Coverage

We were quite blown away to make the front page of some of the daily papers though, and the National TV news too!

Front Page of The Daily Star newspaper
The Front Page of The Daily Express
The Sun Newspaper Feature
Feature in The Times Newspaper
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Hugh Asher

I’m Hugh and I’m a Certified Forest Bathing Guide and Forest Therapy Practitioner, having trained with the Forest Therapy Institute and the Forest Therapy Hub. My purpose in life is to inspire people to improve their wellbeing, and to help people to help and inspire others to improve their wellbeing. I do this through promoting greater nature connection as I am a passionate believer in the benefits to health and wellbeing that nature and increased connection to nature can bring.

Professionally, I have worked for over twenty years supporting people experiencing: mental health problems; autism; learning disabilities; school exclusion; experience of the care system; and a history of offending behaviour. Currently I am the ‘Recovery Through Nature Lead’ in a residential rehab for people experiencing drug and alcohol problems.

I have a PhD in Therapeutic Relationships, but Dr. Hugh makes me sound too much like a Time Lord.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugh-asher/
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