Hospital patients in Dorchester can visit the woods surrounding Thomas Hardy’s birthplace without leaving their beds.

‘Rites of Way with Mr Hardy’ allows patients at Dorset County Hospital to listen to stories and poems from Thorncombe Woods in Higher Bockhampton and imagine they are there through a mobile app.

It's part of a partnership between arts organisation ScreenPLAY and Arts in Hospital.

Sharon Hayden, dramatherapist and co-creator of Rites of Way, said: “Although the idea of the project is to listen when you are in the woods, people not able to get there can still benefit.

“Through listening to the stories, poems and songs you can imagine you’re in the woods, surrounded by trees or standing by the pond, maybe visiting Hardy’s birthplace and that sense of being there can be a still moment in your day. For those in hospital, we hope the app can bring a sense of the woods and the relaxing feeling of being there.”

Dorset Echo: Dramatherapist Sharon HaydenDramatherapist Sharon Hayden (Image: Dorset County Hospital Charity)

The app is optimised for mobile phones so people can listen on their headphones and choose stories and poems through the seasons linked to four locations in the wood - Hardy’s Cottage, Rushy Pond, the Wood and the Coppice.

Dorset Echo: Interactive map: Users click a bench in the woods to listen to a selection of Hardy’s poems and stories of the trees.Interactive map: Users click a bench in the woods to listen to a selection of Hardy’s poems and stories of the trees. (Image: Dorset County Hospital Charity)

Suzy Rushbrook, Arts in Hospital manager, said: “People are often surprised to learn that we manage the biggest collection of contemporary prints, paintings and sculpture in Dorset, but of course when you’re a patient sometimes you just want to lie back and listen.”

You can find out more on their website: https://dchartsinhospital.org.uk, including links to a series of podcasts expanding on the themes in the app.

All the work was recorded in and around Hardy’s Cottage and includes specially commissioned music by alt-folk Good Habits band, Bonnie Schwarz and Pete Shaw. Poems are read by actors Rod Drew, Perwina Whitmore and Bethany Baskett and the stories of the trees told by Environmental arts therapist Ian Siddons Heginworth.