The Outdoors Group Podcast

For the final episode of season 5 of The Outdoors Group Podcast, we were delighted to be invited to On The Hill, who are based in the beautiful Teign Valley in South Devon. We met one of the directors of this community interest company, Jo Clark, to discuss the story of On The Hill. We chatted about where they originated, the land based learning that they do and most importantly, what drives the work that they undertake. We discussed connecting young people with the world around them and the food they eat, the importance of having breaks from screens and why community is at the heart of everything they do. It was such a nourishing and engaging conversation to be part of and we hope you enjoy listening to it just as much as we did having it! To find out more about the work they do, head to https://www.onthehill.camp. This was the season finale of Season 5 and what a way to go out! If you'd like to discuss being a guest on our next season, please drop us an email on marcomms@outdoorsgroup.co.uk. But until then, as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we were delighted to be invited to visit The Bioasis, which we found at a top secret location in the South West of England. We were met by the Director Adrian Ferraro to explore this beautiful patch of the world and talk about the experiences they offer to young people. The Bioasis runs immersive residential adventures, with a focus on climate change and looking after the world we live in. We discussed why they've taken such a different approach to residentials, the purposeful work those visiting engage in and the wider context of how this sits within the climate anxiety that many young people suffer from. It was a really interesting and engaging conversation and we hope that you enjoy listening just as much. If you'd like to find out more about what they do at The Bioasis, head over to https://www.thebioasis.com to get started!

In this episode, I was delighted to be joined, once again, by the headteacher of The Outdoors School, Robyn Vincent. For those new to us, The Outdoors School is a unique completely outdoor special school based across 4 sites in Devon. It offers a project-based learner-led educational approach to autistic young people and those with special educational needs. This was Robyn's second appearance on the podcast and this time, she was talking to us about the growth that The Outdoors School has seen over the last 4 years. We discussed how it's grown, how her role as the headteacher has changed and what her dreams and aspirations for learners and staff alike are. It was a lovely opportunity to reflect on the last four years and to look ahead as we enter our fifth academic year and it's always a pleasure to spend some time talking to Robyn.

In this episode, I was delighted to be joined by not one but three of my esteemed colleagues to discuss journalling. Our Welfare Officers Rowan Pring and Pete Shepherd were discussing it from a therapeutic perspective and our Director Shev Pring added an educational view point about using learning journals. We discussed the practicalities of what journalling is, why it's a helpful practice and they shared top tips for how to get started. We also investigated the intersection between the journal as a learning tool and the journal as a therapeutic tool and explored the premise that perhaps they are actually one and the same. It was an insightful, light and useful conversation and as always, a pleasure to facilitate. Rowan mentioned towards the end of the conversation that she has Long Covid and, amongst other designs, she has created two beautiful journals specifically designed for people with Long Covid, that you can find out more about here: https://www.calmertides.co.uk.

In this episode, we were delighted to talk to Abel Pearson, one of the directors at Glasbren. Glasbren is a not-for-profit community land project in Carmarthen, Wales. Over the last 5 years they have been engaging with their local community to grow and deliver over 4000 veg boxes through their Community-Support Agriculture veg box scheme and recently have become the new custodians of a National Trust farm, Parc yr Arglwydd (Lords Park). We talked about where Glasbren originated and what it stands for, dived into biodynamic and no dig farming and discussed their plans for their new home. We explored the power of community and discussed the importance of accessibility in this inspiring and nurturing conversation. It was such a pleasure to have this time to talk to Abel and we hope you enjoy listening to it just as much! To find out more about the amazing work they're doing, visit www.glasbren.org.uk or follow them on instagram at @glasbren.

In this episode, we were delighted to visit The Baby Room in Exeter to talk to one of its founders, Jen Harris. The Baby Room is an amazing venue and resource for families in Exeter and the surrounding area, offering (amongst other things!) breastfeeding support, real nappy consultation and hire, baby sling consultation and hire and inclusive support for families. At the cornerstone of this Community Interest Company, is a deep founded commitment to reducing waste and making environmentally (and wallet!) friendly choices. They were the best perfect people to talk to about Plastic Free July, real nappies and how to tackle the amount of plastic that we face in our daily lives. Jen had some fantastic tips for those wanting to make changes as well as some interesting thoughts on waste, nappies, and the importance of community hubs like this for families. It was a really interesting conversation to have and hopefully might be useful to some of you thinking about waste this Plastic Free July! To find out more about what they do at The Baby Room, visit https://thebabyroomexeter.co.uk.

In this episode, I’ve passed over the hosting hat once again to our Head of Forest School and Training, Nick Murphy. This is the second episode in which Nick is talking about the realities of running Forest School provision in mainstream schools and this time, he’s joined by local freelance Forest School Lead, Ali Taylor. Nick and Ali had a fantastic conversation in which they talked about the benefits of running Forest School sessions, the limitations he might face, and dug into a wider discussion on the importance of child-led, unstructured time outside. It was such a delight to be a fly on the wall throughout this conversation and we hope that you enjoy listening to it!

In this episode, it was such a delight to talk to founder and Director at ThoughtBox Education, Rachel Musson. She invited me to her little patch of heaven in Totnes and we sat down to talk about what ThoughtBox Education does, their Triple Wellbeing project and the holistic approach she takes when it comes to education. We also delved into her very interesting journey to where she finds herself today, her unconventional (and very successful!) business style and her passion for what she does. It was an inspiring and nurturing conversation, one we didn’t want to end! We hope you enjoy it just as much and if you’d like to find out more about the work they’re doing, please visit www.thoughtboxeducation.com

This episode marks the first in a miniseries within the series, in which I’ve handed over the reins as host to our Head of Forest Schools and Training, Nick Murphy. Nick is spending a few episodes talking to those working within mainstream primary schools running Forest School provision. They’ll be talking about the realities of providing Forest School sessions in schools, the benefits and challenges, what their sites and sessions look like, and what they think the future of Forest School looks like in schools. This week, he spoke to Abi Spence from St Peter’s C of E Primary School in Budleigh Salterton. It was an interesting and engaging conversation to listen to, one in which Abi’s passion for what she does shone through. A must listen for parents and educators alike with some real food for thought!

In this episode, we were delighted to talk to Richard Mathews, a Devon based adventurer, explorer and expedition leader. He told us about his lifetime of adventuring, and shared stories from circumnavigating the globe in a Nissan Micra to walking the Slovenian Mountain trail. We talked about what it means to be a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, his experience of working with young people on Duke of Edinburgh and Ten Tors expeditions and his latest project, Adventure Stories. It was a fascinating and fun conversation and we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed having the discussion. To find out more about what Rich is getting up to, visit www.richard-matthews.co.uk.

In this episode we were delighted to be joined by Tom Walmsley from the Ministry of Eco Education to talk about sustainability in education. We discussed what the Ministry of Eco does, why embedding sustainability into education is so important and the influence that children can have on the adults around them in making choices and driving changes to help with the climate crisis we find ourselves in. It was an absolute pleasure to record this outdoors in the beautiful grounds at Dartington and we hope you enjoy listening just as much as we did having the conversation! To find out more about the Ministry of Eco Education, visit www.ministryofeco.org

In this episode, I was so delighted to have the pleasure to visit The Apricot Centre in Totnes. Mark and Hannah gave me a warm welcome (and a delicious lunch!) and we had a fantastic conversation finding out about the amazing and varied work they do on their beautiful site. We chatted about regenerative farming, outdoor well-being, the gut microbiome and so much more. It was a really interesting and engaging conversation and we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed having it. For more information about The Apricot Centre, you can visit www.apricotcentre.co.Uk

In this episode, we were delighted to be joined by two of our tutors from The Outdoors School. Woody and Hannah both began their teaching careers in mainstream schools before coming to work in an outdoor school with a radically different approach to education. They chatted to us about what drew them to a career in education, what their experiences of mainstream education are, and how that differs to what they’ve found at The Outdoors School. We talked about the positives and challenges of adopting an outdoor learner-led, project based approach and how constructivism works in practice! It was a really interesting and fun conversation to have and we think, a fantastic way to finish the fourth season of The Outdoors Group Podcast!

In this episode, we were delighted to be joined by Royal Army Staff Sergeant Nathan Jones. Nathan joined us to talk about his new venture, Discover A Guide, an online community that connects instructors with those new to outdoor adventures. We discussed why he wanted to create this resource, his experience of instructing outdoors and some of the benefits of partaking in outdoor adventurous activities that he sees through his work both with his military colleagues and with civilians. If you’re interested in finding out more, either as an instructor looking to get listed or someone looking for guidance with an adventure or new hobby, head over to www.discoveraguide.com

In this episode I had the absolute pleasure of visiting three of the sites of The Outdoors School to talk to some of the learners there. The Outdoors School is our special independent school that runs outside, all year round, on four sites in Devon, for autistic learners and those with SEN (Special Educational Needs). We chatted about what they thought about the school, how it differs from other settings they’ve attended, what they like about learning outdoors and their ambitions in life. It was so much fun to record and I loved having the opportunity to hear what the young people we work with had to say. We hope you enjoy this special episode!

In this episode we were delighted to be joined, once again, by one of our directors Tom Lowday. This time, he came with his ecological hat on to talk about the rewilding and sustainable woodland management work that is taking place on our largest site, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. We talked about orchards and apples (extensively!), woodland management techniques, therapy cows and biodiversity uplifts. It was an enjoyable and interesting conversation and hopefully those listening will feel the same!

It was such an absolute delight to go for a stroll by the canal in Exeter with Robin Harford in this episode! Robin, the man behind the well known Eat Weeds website, joined me to discuss foraging, Ethnobotany, plants as medicine and food and so much more! We discussed why the stories behind plants are so important and need to be told, how those listening can dip their fingers into finding food in the wild where they live and even dabbled in a little bit of politics! It was such an interesting and thought provoking conversation to have and we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed being part of it. To find out more about Robin’s work, make sure you visit www.eatweeds.co.uk

In this episode, we were so delighted to talk to Devon based artist, Joe Webster. Joe is a landscape graffiti artist who works almost exclusively outdoors, mark making in harmony with the elements and whatever Mother Nature throws at him! We spoke about why he works outdoors and the challenges that brings with it, his favourite spaces to paint, advice for those looking to develop their artistic practice and why it’s important to focus on the process rather than the product. You can find out more about him at www.joewebsterart.com and look at his upcoming workshops at www.cornwallartschool.co.uk

In this episode, we were delighted to be joined by Annkatrin Hendry, a small scale grower and outdoor educator. She came to talk to us about The Landworkers Alliance, the work she does with children and teachers, her own personal growing space, a recent arts council funded project she was involved in and the thread that ties all her ventures together. It was a hopeful and interesting conversation where we discussed how important it is to empower the next generation with the knowledge and skills they need to protect the world around us and to continue the movement for land justice and greener growing practices. You can find out more about some of the things we talked about at: www.landworkersalliance.org, www.growingdevonschools.org and https://youtu.be/MCEHwNejVGE?si=5pT5UL2SS248mDKJ.

In this episode, I was delighted to visit the beautiful Tucketts Farm, in South Devon to talk to part of the management team about what they do on this gorgeous riverside site. Rob and Kim joined me to talk about regenerative farming, the compassionate approach they take to working with animals, off grid life and the exciting new artistic venture that they’re undertaking. It was a warm, fascinating conversation and we hope you enjoy listening to what they had to say! You can find more about the farm on instagram at @tucketts_farm.