Our Story
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Woodlanders has grown from a dream to bring people and land together in a virtuous relationship, where people and place both benefit, are enriched and create beauty. These dreams have been grounded in the hard realities of careers in ecology, conservation, therapy, community development and working with all kinds of people.
We continue to evolve and grow, just like the woods. We try things out, make some mistakes, and work on new and different projects. Through all of that we keep trying to be authentic to ourselves, to listen to the land and to hear the people who come to the woods. We love what we do! And we want to share it with others so that you too can be more connected to this dear, beautiful world and all the lovely beings that live in it. |
We are a social enterprise, which means we run as a business selling our services, but we do not take any private profit from doing so. Instead we reinvest any surpluses in our social and environmental purposes. Our aims are charitable so that we are able to apply for grant funding to work with those who can most benefit from what we offer.
Neroche Woodlanders is a Community Benefit Society, registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and run for the benefit of the community. We registered in 2012, registration number 31925R. Our governing document, or Rules, can be seen here. We have a Shareholder Membership and our day to day activities are governed by a Board of Directors. We work with a team of freelance associates and volunteers who help to create, design and run everything we do. |
Our Team
Barbara Wilcox
Treasurer
Barbara is the Treasurer and a Trustee on the Board. In her role as treasurer she manages all the financial transactions and liaises with the other Board members and external agencies/advisers. In the past she has run her own business including managing the finances and payroll. She also works as a volunteer during our sessions with families and young people. She is happy to pass on her knowledge and love of nature and the environment to the families and young people as well as learning new crafting skills with willow etc. 
Dr Rosie ViantDirector & Chair
Rosie has worked in education and teaching all her life. Now retired and resident on the Blackdown Hills she volunteers as a mentor for young people in Somerset and is Chair of her local Parish Council. Rosie was part of the Neroche Local Stakeholder Group, which drove the direction of Neroche Landscape Partnership Scheme, and latterly the Blackdown Hills Trust. She brings to Woodlanders her expertise in governance, her love of the outdoors and a desire to help young people and families. |
Gavin SaundersDirector & Conservation Lead
Gavin is a co-founder, grew up in the Blackdowns and has worked in the nature conservation sector for 35 years, first as a field botanist and then for the Wildlife Trusts. As a freelance advisor he has influenced some innovative programmes in conservation policy, community engagement and landscape scale habitat conservation. He came home to the Blackdowns in 2005 to lead the multi-disciplinary Neroche Landscape Partnership Scheme for the Forestry Commission (now Forestry England). He has a special interest in helping people connect with nature, and in exploring the links between nature, culture and community. He is a self-taught green woodworker, has an advanced Bushcraft Award from the Woodcraft School, and is Chair of the British Association of Nature Conservationists. Alongside Woodlanders Gavin also runs the Blackdown Hills Farming & Woodland Group, a environmental training and collaboration group. 
Sarah HoldwayDirector & Freelance Associate
Sarah is passionate about getting people outdoors. Sarah is a qualified Forest School Leader, member of the Forest School Association, A D of E leader. She has a background in teaching and working in equine assisted therapy. Sarah is also an approved Therapeutic Forest School leader Approved Practitioner Network (thetherapeuticforest.org) and she receive monthly CPD training from a team of multiskilled therapy team including Clinical Psychologists, Play Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists. Along with holding an Adult Mental Health First Aid Qualification. Sarah helps runs our Young Saplings Parent and toddler group, Wild Explorers and our Wild Explorers Parent and Toddler group. Sarah loves any reason to get outdoors, to learn new skills and help people connect with nature. |
Jenny ArchardDirector and Wellbeing Lead
Jenny is a co-founder, and has a background in group facilitation, therapy, Forest School and project development. She has been working with the Forest School ethos for the last fifteen years, at Burnworthy Outdoor Learning Centre with Gordon Woodall, then with Otterhead Forest School in the Blackdown Hills. She is a level 3 Forest School Leader through the Forest School Training Company and with an Advanced Bushcraft Award from the Woodcraft School. She is an experienced group facilitator, has a counselling skills Award, a background in rural and urban community development, and is a fellow of the Devon School for Social Entrepreneurs programme at Dartington. She is also a holder of the Medicine Wheel. In 2017 she trained with the School of Lost Borders in the USA , to lead pan-cultural Vision Fast work and continues to learn the Way of Council. She is an active member of the Forest School Association and the Wilderness Guides Network. 
Alan BrufordFreelance Associate
Alan brings a huge amount of experience of working with children, families and adults in the woods. Latterly he was the Ranger at Escot and created the Saxon Village that so many people still love and visit. A very skilful Forest School Leader and outdoorsman, he has run Forest School Leader training for Bicton College, at Escot and for others over the years. He helps run Wild Beginnings toddler-parent group at his place, and works with the Exeter Woodcraft Folk. He also organises the woodland craft area at Beautiful Days. |
Rowen Wilde
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Sarah Churchill
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Freelance Associate
Rowen has a background in community arts and drama, and holds a fine art degree from Sheffield Hallam University. She has a broad range of experience and really enjoys working with people of all age and abilities - from elders in care homes to children at birthday parties. Locally she worked for Superact in Wellington. In the last few years Rowen has got involved in nature-based projects and loves working with Woodlanders on families events, off-site events, parties and monitoring wildlife. |
Is this you?
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Freelance Associate
Sarah lives in Dorset with her partner and son. She splits her time between Forest School (running family camps and holiday clubs) and teaching Pilates at her studio in Bridport. She also enjoys throwing pots and growing food and medicinal herbs, wild camping, making lotions and potions, and kick boxing! |
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Gilly Notley
Freelance Associate Gilly lives in Somerset with her family and has been a teacher for over twenty years. Gilly is a qualified Level 3 Forest School leader who also leads a busy Early Years setting in a local school. Gilly brings a wealth of knowledge and experience of working with children and is particularly passionate about working with our youngest children and their families. Having taught in various locations within the UK, as well as overseas for many years, Gilly is happy to be back in the West country and to be working in Young Wood whenever she gets the chance! |
Jane Embleton
Freelance Associate Jane has a love for our land, especially the land where there are people who love or have loved it too. She facilitates art and creativity with adults and young people and has a degree in Art and a PGCE in teaching adults. She was a lead tutor for the arts for Somerset Skills and learning for several years. Her path has led her further and further into the woods and she trained in Forest School and many other ways of connecting to nature and the land and now helps others do this too. As one of the Eco Shamanism team she writes in their monthly newsletters and helps run online and in person trainings. Council and circle ways have become part of her core way working and she runs regular online and in person groups in various places and within camps often in collaboration with Jenny Archard in Young Woods. |
Ellie Hayes
Freelance Associate Ellie has an engineering background and is a level 3 qualified Forest School Leader. She loves working, playing and volunteering with everyone in the woods at Neroche Woodlanders. Her experience includes running home ed outdoor learning and engineering clubs with Rama Life in South Petherton in Somerset and previously at Monkton Wyld Court in Dorset. Ellie is exploring ways to encourage interest in learning maths, in addition to all the forest school fun! |
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Lawrence Bole
Freelance Associate Lawrence is an experienced Outdoor Instructor and a qualified Forest school Leader. He holds a counselling skills award and is a youth mental health first aider. After working for some time within Outdoor Education centres Lawrence spent four years delivering Therapeutic Outdoor interventions and Outdoor education within a specialist school in Somerset. Currently when he's not at Young wood he spends most of his time at Otterhead Forest school as well as delivering Outdoor learning within an alternative provision. |
Tiffany Lovedale
Freelance Associate Tiff lives in West Dorset with her partner and children. She has a special interest in education, nature and inclusion and has broad vocational experience including working with neurodivergent children in mainstream school and alternative settings. She holds a BSc in Environmental Hazards & Disaster Management with a focus on understanding natural phenomenon and human need. Tiff has trained in the Steiner Craft Curriculum, wood working and rural crafts. She continues to build upon her blacksmithing skills and in the future would like to use this alongside counselling principles as a therapeutic intervention. Tiff is currently completing her forest leaders level 3 qualification. She would like to use this to enable adults and children to explore and build connections with nature and its positive effects upon physical and mental health. |