Dear Friends,

Writing here, from our offices in the Essex countryside the heat is palpable and the temperature is 36 degrees indoors. Sun beats in through the windows and the hot wind brings little relief.

The impact of a changing climate could not be more palpable and overwhelming and brings tidings of our need to factor in these extreme weather conditions going forwards. There is no space for denial now of a changing climate as Europe, other parts of the world and in our corner,  the South East of England, we experience environmental crises such as unprecedented fires, drought and in some places, floods.

What struck me was for many these temperatures were totally alien and there was a reality of not knowing how to manage. To work or not, open windows or not, water plants or not.

Having grown up in Africa it helped to understand heat of this magnitude but nevertheless I also found it deeply uncomfortable…fans can make a difference but don’t totally do the job. With the  energy crisis there seems little justification to start putting in air conditioners however much the temptation. We will have to learn to cope in other ways and learn to live, as we did with Covid, a different way of being in the world.

For younger people, learning to cope with change can be easier than those in middle to older ages. There is less to compare against or reminisce over (which can help),  but wish that we could offer them a more comfortable ride into their futures. They will need our support in every way possible, from listening to mentoring to funding, to being patient and giving them space to explore for themselves, make mistakes and be creative.

I cannot but feel real grief in thinking of wildlife and the impact of these temperature changes for the natural world where species need time to change and adapt or otherwise just simply disappear. The consequences are vast for all life – human and non human – and terrifyingly summed up in this latest article on climate change impacts from Australia. See https://theconversation.com/this-is-australias-most-important-report-on-the-environments-deteriorating-health-we-present-its-grim-findings-186131
https://theconversation.com/amp/this-is-australias-most-important-report-on-the-environments-deteriorating-health-we-present-its-grim-findings-186131

The Foundation has, during this year in particular, increased its work of empowering young environmental thinkers and activators through a range of initiatives such as climate change workshops (we recently had funding from Essex County Council for this) and wilderness leadership programmes (such as the Haberdashers’ Livery Company students who immersed in wild Scotland, practiced Leave no Trace and could build a deeper understanding of their place as part of natural systems. They undertook a ten day immersion building internal reserves of resilience and nature connections on a wild canoe journey, followed by  protecting nature through volunteering).

Alongside this we have had hundreds of children learning to love nature and understand wilderness values through our environmental education programmes, our Eco Defender groups and our Green Influencer programmes.  We can only touch the surface of what is needed, but we continue to be ambitious to do more and reach more people who understand the value of nature, care deeply for the earth and to live as well on it in terms of looking after its wildlife, systems and other gifts of life.

Good news on this expansion is the signing of a new partnership with the National Trust at Hatfield Forest in Essex – a key ancient and vast woodland of real significance for biodiversity and green space – to deliver environmental education and social benefit programmes. We are building capacity as the time is right for drawing in young people to learn about themselves and their relationship to nature and how to protect it.

Further partnership is in place with Archie Ruggles-Brice on Spain’s Hall Farm in West Essex where we have funding from Rewilding Britain to invest in outreach to bring groups to the farm to learn more about sustainable agriculture, rewilding including beaver introduction, flood mitigation through natural processes, regenerative farming and agro forestry. Archie is inspirational in his ambition to farm in the best way possible to leave as little impact as possible, whilst doing everything he can to raise the biodiversity and health of his farm and surrounding areas.

The Environment Committee continues to explore this pathway of work for the Foundation and we are exploring other potential opportunities at the moment.

Whilst we have made steps in finding ways of increased environmental education we have also been increasingly busy in our outreach in nature based mental health services  – with new funding for domestic abuse outdoor therapy, work with young people who are at risk of suicide, increased services for general outdoor therapy groups for all ages and also our continued services of one to one and online therapy.

The work in helping people and helping nature continues to be our focus and makes sense in a world where both are in suffering. As we grow, we are increasing our staff levels with new members of the team joining us in administration, operations and education. We are looking to increase our therapists and outdoor instructors and will be including a new and much wider training and development agenda.

Writing the above sounds so buoyant – and it is – but the pressure is to meet desperate needs and continue to work hard to make a difference. I am not sure how the economic, political and global changes will impact us going forwards and as CEO I think about our future and what we need to have in place to be the best adapters possible. However, I do believe in our team of loving, passionate and committed staff who deeply care and leave a positive legacy in the people we meet every day who need nurturing and listening to, and we aim to be the best ancestors for the earth as possible.

Do come and see us, spread the word about the work, engage and live each day as well as possible. Thank you for your interest and engagement with us. We could not do it without you and remain so grateful for your friendship in this journey.

Jo and the Wilderness Team