Dear Friends,

Earth Day – 22nd April – is a time for celebration, reflection and forward thinking about the beautiful planet we exist on.

For those of us here in the northern hemisphere – spring has definitely sprung – and although still cold at times – I am uplifted by the beauty and promise of summer and new life of the present  that surrounds us in bursts of colour, bird song and scents.

The Foundation has also had a parallel and momentous spring into a new era with the ‘hot off the press’ purchase of the most wonderful 92 acres of semi-natural ancient woodland called Mann Wood – close to our offices in Great Leighs, Essex. This is the first land purchase we have made in all the years since we were founded in 1976. I know our founder Ian Player would have found much solace and meaning in its magical space.

This beautiful and much loved space has been in the private ownership of David Boyle – an expert on moths, butterflies and all things natural – who over the years has become a very close friend and supporter to us all.

We were lucky to meet David at a time when we were needing to find more space in which to run our busy programmes and a mutual friend introduced us. From thereon we developed a license and have been working in the woods on and off for over six years. During this time, many vulnerable young people and adults flourished within its canopy and green calm. We have learned to love its secret corners, hares, deer, buzzards, insects and some rare and other simply lovely flora such as swathes of wild garlic. Being tucked away there we feel like we have left the madness of the busy world behind us – and relish the quiet and aloneness that the woodland gives us.

With an offer to buy the land we were immensely lucky to find one large funder in the Biffa Award and a smaller match funder in the Banister Trust – and we were all set. You can see the video used for our application HERE and hopefully this can give you the sense of the woodland,  David and the joy our team have in being able to care for it into the future.

The acquisition of this green space has enormous relevance as we see increasing development across Essex and particularly around where we are based in Chelmsford. Mann Wood allows us opportunities to bring a more environmental focus alongside the human-care programmes that have truly grown over the years, and we aim to work with the woods for both human and nature benefits.

Working closely with our environmental trustees who have enormous experience in woodland management, rewilding and biodiversity, we are hoping to build key partnerships with universities to engage with us in base line studies of the biodiversity map of the woodland, as well as engaging local communities in citizen science. This will all take place alongside a minimal intervention strategy to demonstrate that nature knows best and has her own strategies for regulation, organically opening new areas of woodland for sunlight to filter through, via natural tree collapse and wind, for example, rather than coppicing, and to measure how much biodiversity grows through the period and how nature responds.

At present this is a hugely topical subject as we learn and understand how vital biodiverse systems are key to climate mitigations and overall healthy futures for all life. Sadly (and both delightful to think of) I am not sure any of us reading this will  be around to see the progress of the wood in the hundred years or so it could take to really get off the ground with this new approach!

Whilst the science is critical – so is the immersion of people in nature – and the woods offer us a permanent base in which to grow our nature and wilderness therapy outreach in the wider community. Here we can continue to grow passion and love for nature and tools on how to take care of it.

We aim to put the link between us and nature as the healer and through that embed a gratitude and appreciation of the wild.

Although this is a legacy project in that sense of its long term ambitions, we still have the present to enjoy and work on. You can all get involved from here on. Sign up for our Mann Wood newsletter that will give you a monthly update on what we have seen, what is going on with groups and our progress. We will need volunteers to walk the woods regularly, to take part in citizen science and help with education and other events as time goes by.  Donors to help us with funding the woodland’s team and care are also going to be much needed. Contact us on info@wildernessfoundation.org.uk (Use Mann Wood in the subject line)  to let us know if you can help in anyway, or simply come on the special mailing list.

If you are keen to read more up about how we plan to use the woodland, information is on our website link https://wildernessfoundation.org.uk/wilderness-mann-wood/

On the human care front, we continue to be inundated by the current mental health crisis and have waiting lists for outdoor therapy that averages about 100 people at any moment in time. With this number needing help – particularly children post covid – we are also seeing a shrinking of available funding, which is very challenging. This of course adds enormous strain to our efforts to support and help as quickly as we would like – and we can at times feel quite desperate reading some of the tragic referrals that come across our desks and make the evaluations of who to support first and what is most urgent.

We have recently become an approved provider for the NHS (which means we can tender for services) – so we are hopeful that more statutory support may be possible, particularly as most of our clients come through GP practice social prescribers, and many from the NHS children’s mental health services, amongst others of course.

We have been so grateful to the National Lottery and others for their funding over three years for our outdoor therapy services which can be used up faster than we like. However we never cease to continue to work and fundraise hard and to be there for as many people as possible. We have a deeply passionate and committed team of our outdoor therapists and facilitators and the feedback we receive from clients and referrers is very positive and vital in keeping us all motivated.

Last year we reached over 8,000 clients either through environmental education or therapy which is a tremendous achievement. The environmental education team has grown to include new facilitators and volunteers; and school bookings, Special Education Needs and Disability groups, and building young Green Ambassadors, plus Wild Schools outreach for climate change keeps them all super busy. You can read more about what they are up to further in the newsletter. We are always very excited to be linked to Hatfield Forest with the National Trust and Spains hall Estate with our beaver tours and education, both venues offering us different spaces, and different communities to engage with.

New areas we are branching into are delivering outdoor home school activities, and River School which will explore the life of rivers, their ecology and how they are vital for climate health. This will link a range of schools through Essex to become involved. I am really excited by this prospect.

In September we will also have a major event at the Royal Geographical Society in London – celebrating Water –in conjunction with the Wilderness Artists Collection – following on our success of Land lines looking at exploration and mental health  a few years ago. We are still seeking a few more sponsors for this event, so if you are interested at all in helping as a volunteer or sponsor please contact me on jo@wildernessfoundation.org.uk or clare@wildernessfoundation.org.uk. We would love to hear from you. More info will follow.

As always there is almost too much to share, and I hope this Spring News offers you a taste of what we are up to. We are at a crucial time in how we relate to nature. As the economy struggles, much gets puts into development and house building, and as climate issues ramp up, the conflict between land use of food, housing, and energy such as solar panels increases. None of these are simple but all impact space for nature for sure.

I believe we need to share the earth more equally. I am pro a 50:50 approach as promoted by the Nature Needs Half movement of EO Wilson and respect and space for all life is needed and should be a top priority with decision makers. With war, greed and other painful issues out there,  I hope that the Foundation can continue to change hearts and minds about our relationship with the wild, the need for its value and protection and to educate that without nature we will not be here into the future. As Edward Abbey said, ‘Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity’.  Smell those dusty buds, crunch through pathways in the woods and fields, and keep absorbing the wonders of nature and the wild. It will renew your spirit and remind you every day of the  work (mostly joyful) we collectively must do… Leonardo Da Vinci said ‘Scruta la natura, e il tou future’. (Behold nature, for it is your future).

Kindest regards

Jo and the Wilderness Team