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We’re regularly releasing all of the workshop leaders for 2025! Follow this page and check out our Facebook page for regular updates and info!
Ruth Dixon
Basic Bramble Baskets Workshop
Another opportunity to get naturally creative and make your own simple bramble basket to take home as a NTC 2025 souvenir. Ruth will guide you step by step through harvesting, processing and basket weaving techniques using this common, versatile and fantastically sustainable woodland resource. A chance to relax and reflect on the many therapeutic benefits of expressive creativity in a natural environment.
The craft corner will be open throughout the conference weekend with an invite for everyone to drop in and find creative inspiration, use the free resources available and to just have a go at some environmental art projects or simply relax in a quiet and welcoming space.
Bio:
As someone who has lived and worked in the heart of the Peak District National Park for most of my life I have developed a deep connection and love for the local area and it’s communities. I am passionate about sharing my own knowledge and experiences of the surrounding natural landscapes with people of all ages through my work as a Forest School and Wilderness Therapeutic Practitioner.
By combining my professional roots in playwork with the forest school model and ethos, a lifelong passion for creativity and by using established wilderness therapeutic and environmental art theories and approaches I am able to deliver bespoke therapeutic woodland sessions for groups of young people, adults and family events throughout the four seasons. This year I will be continuing my journey with eQe Outdoors and working towards completing their brand new Level 5 Diploma in Wilderness Psychotherapy.
I am extremely grateful to be at the NTC again this year and to be a member of this ever growing tribe! I will be running bramble basket workshops and hosting the craft corner which will be open to all throughout the weekend. So please do come on over to say hello, find some creative inspiration and use the free resources available to have a go at some environmental art projects or simply relax in a quiet and welcoming space.
Hayley Smitham Hopewell
Workshop
Mental health is a topic that is increasingly on everyone’s minds, and it’s a conversation that shouldn’t be swept under the rug. I want to explore how spending time outdoors and practicing bushcraft can be powerful tools for fostering mental well-being. Through building resilience, cultivating self-awareness, and boosting self-confidence, these practices offer valuable lessons for navigating life’s challenges. By using nature as a metaphor, we can reflect on our own journeys—examining where we are, where we’ve been, and where we want to go. Let’s connect with the natural world and ourselves, drawing strength from both.
Bio:
I’ve worked in the outdoor sector since I was 16 and after 15 years of teaching, I began a new chapter working in a residential care home with a school located in its garden, where I taught therapeutically. My goal was to deepen my knowledge and better support the young people in my care. One day, Robin Sheenan came to give a demonstration, and I was immediately captivated by his approach. Fortunately, the school funded my training, and I became part of the first cohort of EQE Level 3 students to graduate.
As I progressed through my Level 3 Wilderness Therapeutic Practices certification, my time in schools came to a close. I then embarked on an exciting new adventure at Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre, working in the heart of Leicester city. My desire to continue expanding my knowledge and skills while helping others led me to this opportunity, where I could also enjoy the outdoors as nature intended.
Ruth Kirk
at nature’s pace
Creative Wellbeing: Nature Doodling
Nature Doodling is a wonderful, mindful way to develop a deeper connection with nature through the creative experience of sketching. It’s not however, about being great at drawing! And that’s important. Anyone can do it. It’s a totally inclusive activity.
The aim of Nature Doodling is to learn how to see, not how to draw and to discover how spending time doodling nature can improve your health and wellbeing.
The focus of this Nature Doodling workshop is on observation, not artwork; enjoying nature, not learning about it; sketching in your own way for your own wellbeing, tapping in to the Five Pathways to Nature Connectedness developed by the University of Derby.
The benefits of creative wellbeing in nature include – helping you to see and notice more, improving memory, slowing down, focusing and being mindful, improving mood and lifting the spirits. And all of these things help to reduce stress and anxiety and draw on the healing power of nature.
Bio:
I am a biophiliac. Not as weird as it sounds!
It’s a Greek-derived word meaning “love of life or living systems”. As human beings, we’re intrinsically part of, and innately drawn to seek a connection with the natural world around us to thrive. And in nature is where I thrive best.
A light bulb moment of serendipity led me to university as a mature student 18 years ago to study a degree in Outdoor & Environmental Education and qualify as a Mountain Leader. I passionately believe that if you want change, you must make change and that the natural world around us is a powerful facilitator. I am currently completing the Level 3 Certificate in Advanced Wilderness Therapeutic Approaches.
I spent 12 years working for conservation charities in the Lake District on projects that look after the spectacular landscapes and on landscape engagement – dreaming up and delivering ways to ignite and inspire people’s fascination for, and understanding of, the natural world. I have worked with a wide range of people from different backgrounds and from schoolchildren to retirees.
Through my business – At Nature’s Pace – I am now on a mission to share the incredible, therapeutic, healing power of the natural world for better health and greater wellbeing. Reigniting our child-like sense of wonder and awe at the natural world by tapping into the scientifically proven benefits of nature connection.
Amanda Jenkins
Heartwood
Why Play is Essential in our Therapeutic Work
When we have built the shelter, collected the firewood, hunted and gathered our food, purified the water basically satisfied our survival instincts. We then should gather for time to Play!
Why?
Play can add joy to life it can invigorate you and help you process deep rooted thoughts and feelings. Play is cathartic in its nature healing and expressive. Play can make an angry begruntled child or adult calm and restored. Play is an outlet for strong emotions it is a restorative practice both in childhood and adulthood. It can improve mental health and resilience.
- Play Strengthens You.
- Play Makes You Smarter.
- Play Helps You Solve Problems.
- Play Boosts Creativity.
- Play Reduces Stress.
- Play Helps You Make Friends.
- Play Enhances Attractiveness.
- Play Builds Resilience.
In our Nature Therapy work we should all endeavour to prescribe PLAY to help rebuild, reshape or rekindle one’s broken spirit PLAY can restore whether it’s self-directed alone play or co-operative team building play.
Brooklin Green from the Cherokee Nation is a public speaker and has produced her company called “Brooklin Event”. This company aims to bring back playfulness into people’s lives. Both professionally and personally she invites us to learn the basics of traditional native games. Games of strategy, Decision making, Conflict Resolution, Diplomacy and Storytelling.
We live in a world where compromise, resolution therapy and diplomacy are scarce. Humour can be devoid or lacking in the daily grind to produce financial gain. Indigenous philosophy is a way of rekindling our sense of virtue, respect, honour and PLAY principles.
Indigenous philosophies bring to life the idea that we are all part of an intergenerational journey. Each of us are born in the imaginations of generations past, with the responsibility to set the course for the journeys that follow. Moana Jackson campaigner for Indigenous Rights.
I would like to begin a journey with you here at the Conference something that I hope you will carry on through the great work that you do.
THE PLAY JOURNEY
What is PLAY?
Interacting with the world, people and objects around us.
Types of Play
BOB HUGHES (handout)
16 types of play
What does play teach us to do?
Observe Test out our theories & Knowledge
Try out our theories Imitate what we have seen? Model our peers.
Play teaches us to be in the here and now to immerse ourselves in what is happening around us.
Play has developmental value Potential Cognitive Connections
Play can heal and rewire your brain creating positive connections
I will lead you through this journey experiencing play in its raw form where you will enter the world of play. Let’s see where it leads us?
This workshop is largely practical with some elements of research and knowledge.
Be prepared to PLAY…Get Creative….
There will be some alone play opportunities, co-operative play and games.
We are the apes who never grew up QUOTE from Dave Neale psychologist.
Did you know we are coming full circle big companies such as GOOGLE have play spaces set up in offices where they work. Play is a part of our work environment.
In the Outdoors Play is Endless so many possibilities!
- Play reduces stress
- Increases group cohesion
- Improves Work Quality
- Stimulates Creative Thinking
- Fosters Positive Social Interaction
- Encourages Exploration.
I invite you to Come and see what Play Provocations are on offer on this workshop!
We will also look at Play in relation to Sensory Processing and Autism spectrum covering Interoception and Proprioception.
Look forward to our journey at the Nature Therapy Conference 2025
Bio:
My name is Amanda I am an Outdoor Adventurer/Forest Wild Facilitator I have worked in the outdoors for over 20 years. I have been a Countryside Ranger, Environmental Educational Educator, Childcare Practitioner, Early Learning Practitioner, Forest School Leader and Nurture Support Worker. I currently work with Special Educational Needs children in the Outdoors. I have completed Level 3 in Advanced Wilderness Therapeutic Approaches, and I am about to begin my journey onto the Diploma in Wilderness Psychotherapy. I have degrees in Countryside Management and Childhood Studies. Working with children of all ages and abilities both in Forests, Schools and Youth Clubs I have developed my own unique style of facilitating. I am a spiritual soul who believes in travelling through life acquiring knowledge, spiritual fulfilment and awareness. Play, curiosity, connection and encounters is how I would like to describe my sessions they are therapeutic in essence and aim to build relationships, sense of self, tolerance and respect. I have a real connection to First Nations tribes and spiritual beliefs where experiences teach lessons, and we learn from our 7 teachings Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility and Truth. My hopes for the future are we return to a more spiritual existence and give back what we are taking from the land.
Julie Gilbert-Binns
Listening to Whispers
“Work pressures, multitasking, social media, news updates, multiplicities of entertainment sources—these all induce us to become lost in thoughts, frantic activities, gadgets, meaningless conversations. We are caught up in pursuits of all kinds that draw us on not because they are necessary or inspiring or uplifting, or because they enrich or add meaning to our lives, but simply because they obliterate the present.”
― Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
The loss of connection – to ourselves, those around us and our wider environment – has resulted in an alarming rise in physical and mental malaise. The yearning for belonging is often satisfied through consumption or addiction, as individuals become more isolated and alienated from the self.
The search for communality is leading more people to seek belonging and find meaning and inspiration from the natural world. This may take the form of rituals, ceremonies and collaborations which can offer the clarity, balance and life-affirming experiences that bring us back to our true essence.
In this workshop, Julie will share her own experiences of interspecies healing and communication, guiding you through meditations, mindful practices and somatic experiences to help you to listen to the manifold whisperings of ancient wisdom. We will explore the Wheel of the Year and how this might support us in living a life that is more attuned to the seasons and energy of the earth. The workshop will help you to become more connected to your intuition and open to the reflections of the self in the landscapes and ecosystems of which you are an integral part.
Bio:
Julie is an Equine Therapy Facilitator, Counsellor, Animal Communicator and Reiki Practitioner. She is inspired by the natural world in supporting adults and young people to work through a broad range of mental health issues – including trauma, grief, anxiety and existential crises – and draws from her own life experiences.
Growing up in South Africa, Julie has always had a close connection to the natural world and animals. From her current home in the Wye Valley, she satisfies her curiosity about ancient rituals, the power of nature and holistic healing through ongoing investigation into Shamanic Practice, Paganism, Celtic rituals and, more recently, Embodied Psychotherapy.
Julie embraces a heart-centred, attuned approach to life, seeking communion with the other-than-human whose wisdom offers guidance in accordance with her own intuition. She also has a Master’s degree in Communication and ran a successful Marketing Communications Agency, working within the IT industry across Europe and Africa over a period of 20 years.
Vanessa Warrington
Halkyn Castle Wood Events and Education ltd
How trees heal – mindful walk, talk and craft
Vanessa will talk about the science of nature connection and the benefits of spending mindful time with trees. The talk will be interactive and will include guided forest bathing, energy work for wellbeing and creative ways to bring this practise into yours and your client’s busy lives.
Bio:
Vanessa is a dendrophile, teacher, change manager, and a certified Forest School Leader, Wellbeing in Nature Practitioner and Trainer and Nature Connection Facilitation Specialist.
Vanessa is guardian of 47-acre Halkyn Castle Wood in NE Wales where she creates healing and inspiring spaces for holistic wellbeing, alternative education and celebrations.
Bridget Sheehan
Equilibrium and Enablement Ltd
“What makes a space a Place? And where is your Place?”
As humans we need to belong – but not just with other people, in a Tribe – we need to belong somewhere, to connect with our Earth, to feel rooted. Where do you belong? Where is your Place? Or have you not found it yet? And what is it that makes a space become a significant Place?
In this interactive Talk we will be exploring our attachment to Place, how we can build our own sense of Place, and facilitate others through our therapeutic work, as they seek to find theirs.
Bio:
I am an experienced Creative Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer and a qualified Primary School teacher. I am a creative and spiritual being, a wife, a mum, and a lover of nature, of walking, reading, gardening, and cooking.
I have been working with children, young people and those who support them for over 30 years. I currently co-deliver the Certificate in Advanced Wilderness Therapeutic Approaches and the new Level 5 Diploma in Wilderness Psychotherapy and also manage a team of therapists.
I love delivering the Wilderness Therapy training, meeting such a rich assortment of beautiful humans and being part of their journeys. I am constantly humbled by the powerful work our Learners are doing as they seek to help others to connect with nature and reconnect with themselves.
Victoria Clark
Elements Of Nature
Unity Through Nature: Exploring Universal Spirituality and Seasonal Celebrations
I invite you to come and celebrate the diversity and unity of sacred traditions, with nature as the common thread that binds us all.
Building on the theme of spring woven throughout the weekend, this experiential workshop is designed to explore ways of uniting people from diverse spiritual backgrounds including an opportunity to come together in ceremony, to bless the earth and bless our own unique journey of service, whatever shape that takes.
Exploring how various traditions celebrate the seasons and honour the earth and demonstrating principles and practices that encourage understanding, inclusivity and connection through methods of nature connection, rooted in ancient traditions and evolutionary thinking.
Bio:
“Since childhood I have been curious about nature as medicine, myth and mystery. Wanting to learn natural ways of healing the mind, body and spirit, I gained a diploma in holistic therapy in 2003, then went on to travel and learn from indigenous cultures and spiritual traditions both abroad and in the UK, eventually graduating as a shamanic practitioner in 2008.
I love to learn, dance and celebrate with the human and non-human world and look forward to connecting with you all at this wonderful conference.”
Robin Sheehan
Equilibrium and Enablement Ltd
“BE LIKE ALICE! – FINDING THIN PLACES AND PORTALS”
Are you brave enough to step through the Wilderness Mirror?!
Come and explore what Thin Places are, how to find them, and how we can all use them to help ourselves move forward in our lives, our issues, our difficult decisions… We’ll look at how our ancestors used them in Rites of Passage, how we still use them today in the modern Wilderness Vision Quest process, and how we are using them in Wilderness Psychotherapy.
I’ve explored the concept of Thin Places for a long time now, and experienced them many times first hand, being guided into a frame of mind, and into a place in nature, where it feels like the barrier between different realities is palpably translucent.
Then you have a choice. Do you stay this side? Or do you step through, across the threshold? Or maybe you already did pass through without noticing, and now you find yourself on the other side… Can you get back again?
If you step through, it’s as if you have literally moved into a different reality and find yourself on “the other side”. There is great weirdness and truth to be found there. This is part of the modern Vision Quest process, also integrated into Wilderness Psychotherapy, and is a powerful part of the toolkit for helping individuals move forward from issues and decisions they may be facing.
I want to introduce this for everyone to begin to explore in their own time outdoors in nature, possibly with others but importantly as something we can do for ourselves.
Bio:
eQe Director of Wilderness Therapy, Training, and Life Engineering
Robin is a Wilderness Vision Quest Guide and elder, trained in the USA in Death Valley. His therapeutic background lies in Resource Based Therapy, including: Solutions Focused Brief Therapy, SFT for Complex Trauma, Motivational Interviewing, Positive Psychotherapy, and CBT for PTSD.
Robin and the eQe team of consultants deliver, and continue to pioneer, the highest standards of outdoor psychotherapeutic content, pedagogy, and qualifications.
He is Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherer trained, Backwoods Survival trained, and a qualified Advanced Bushcraft Practitioner. Robin is wilderness medical trained.
Since 2011 Robin has trained: Healthcare Workers; Therapists and Counsellors; university lecturers and researchers in psychotherapy; SEND professionals, military veterans and workers in Veterans’ Organisations; Outdoor Practitioners (bushcraft, mountain leaders, expedition leaders, forest schools); LAC staff; Hospital Teaching Service; School staff and Children’s Workers; Refugee Workers; Overseas NGO workers.
From 1983 until 2010, Robin worked in industry as an Environmental Scientist, working as a Met Office Climatologist and Agricultural Meteorologist; then on Environmental and Space Systems; and he was an Oceanographer at the British Oceanographic Data Centre. He has an MBA, and a Masters degree in Natural Environments and Plant Growth.
Imelda McQuaid
Mindful by Nature
1.Brains, bodies & affectionate breathing
2.Befriending your inner critic
3.Fierce self-compassion
4.Compassion- an antidote to shame and other difficult emotions
It is often said that ‘pain is inevitable, while suffering is optional.’ Self-compassion is a powerful tool that allows us to be gentle with ourselves when we are experiencing a moment of suffering. Self-compassion allows us to be gentle with ourselves in these moments of discomfort, rather than giving ourselves an additional hard time, or avoiding our difficult thoughts with unhelpful distractions.
Over the course of the weekend, Imelda will welcome you to take a seat by the fire and guide you through a series of practices that will support you to cultivate a sense of compassion for yourself, while connecting with nature. Imelda is creating space for you to slow down and to become consciously aware of your thoughts, feelings and sensations while surrounded by the safe and nurturing woodland.
Each workshop will have a different focus but will remain connected by a golden thread of compassion They can be attended as a standalone event, or as a series.
Bio:
I am a nature lover, hiking enthusiast and mum of 2 boys, seeking peace and calm through nature, mindfulness and self-compassion. The majority of my working life I have worked for (and still do) a homeless charity, Depaul UK, supporting people aged 16-25 who have experienced complex trauma and adversity in their formative years. More recently my role is focused on delivering training, to support the development of a trauma informed environment and way of working.
The other half of the week I am more likely to be found sat around the fire pit, hosting fellow peace seekers as they journey inwards to discover a more compassionate self.
I believe that quality time in nature is an essential ingredient for our holistic health and wellbeing so I am really looking forward to returning to the conference to embrace a weekend of wellness and wisdom.
Luke Collyer
DeWolfBuschraft CIC
Moral Injury Talk
Join me for a talk about Moral Injury. The talk will explain what moral injury is, how it affected my life as a Paramedic and how the outdoors has helped with PTSD. And also, hopefully give some ideas and tips on how to potentially steer Moral Injury away from developing into the more permanent PTSD.
We will look at how neuropathways can be shaped to force a better more positive outcome with memories that head toward PTSD and techniques for self-care and shaping our own neuropathways.
Primitive Arrow Making Workshop
Join Luke in an primitive arrow making workshop where you will be able to make and leave with an arrow, using a mix of primitive and modern techniques – using naturally sourced resources and glues.
We’ll explore basic and broad understandings of how to make an arrow from different techniques, whilst understanding the basic science behind the arrow. Using naturally sourced resources and glues, you will aim to have completed a useable arrow to take away.
Bio:
DeWolfBuschraft is a CIC – a bushcraft/mountain/expedition company based in the wilds of the Lake District. The company is a vehicle to operate my Sanctuary Project. The aim of the Sanctuary Project is to bring NHS workers, Emergency Services (blue light) workers, and all other similar types of personnel, who may be dealing with Moral Injury, burn-out, and/or PTSD – and bring them into a remote woodland sanctuary situated close to the western shores of Windermere.
Here, we sleep in hammocks, cook on open fires, wild swim off the shores of Windermere, learn primitive skills in foraging, fire lighting, cooking, atlatl and arrow making and, using nature as a means of therapy, just be . . . in nature. The ultimate aim is to give individuals a chance to connect with nature, disconnect from the issues with daily life and recharge themselves a little, and hopefully help them stay within a job and career that they deep down still love to do.
I am Luke, currently a Paramedic Practitioner, but also a Mountain Leader, Jungle Expedition Leader, and primitive skills geek. My main work these days is in primary and urgent care in the North West of England where I live with my wife and child. I originate from London where I trained as a Paramedic, and where I ultimately developed a series of moral injuries unbeknownst to me that developed into PTSD that saw the end of my career with frontline work.
I have trained in bushcraft and primitive skills for many years, amongst other courses I have completed the SIGMA3 45 day Survival Instructor Programme in USA, completed the NCFE Level 4 Certificate of Applied Bushcraft in UK, and have led multiple long haul Jungle Expeditions to various remote jungle locations. I have also worked in the Outdoor Industry for many years in the UK, working in mountains, climbing and canoeing. As such, I have utilised all these skills and experiences, along with nature and wilderness, to help me rehabilitate and come to terms with my long standing PTSD – and as a result, developed a CIC that aims to do the same for others dealing with similar issues.
Sam Gravestock
The Forest Path
Knives!
Knife work is a key aspect of time spent in the woods, sitting beside the fire whittling a stick, crafting projects, building camp apparatus all are made possible with a knife and the knowledge of how to use one confidently.
However knives are now demonised and made to be a weapon and dangerous rather than one of humanitys most essential tools. Being able to challenge this during therapeutic sessions as well as showing the practical uses of the knife is key to ensuring the perception of a knife as a tool is maintained and promoted.
That said, now not everyone is familiar with the safe use of knives, the maintenance of this important tool or how to pass on the knowledge.
In this workshop we will cover knife safety, delivering a knife safety briefing, the try stick and the use of the differing cuts used on a try stick, knife maintenance both in the field and between sessions or when putting into storage between programmes ,legal considerations of knives and how to facilitate a knife work session
Mary Dalton
Mercury Sounds
Sound Bath
- Designed to induce deep meditation, the session combines the powerful vibrations of Crystal singing bowls & other various instruments to promote holistic resonance & wellbeing, leaving you feeling renewed and balanced.
The 45min session with consist of lying down & being immersed in a soundscape created by various sounds & frequencies from instruments like singing bowls, drums and chimes. The sounds are designed to create a state of relaxation and inner peace
Benefits of a sound bath:
-Calms your mind & body.
-Reduces stress & anxiety.
-Improves immune system.
-Helps with insomnia, addiction & lack of focus.
-Lowers blood pressure.
-Improves mental clarity.
-Relieves chronic pain & migraines.
-Helps the body to engage in it’s natural
healing process.
*Mats will be provided. Please bring your own blanket and pillow if you have them*
Bio:
I first came across sound bath on my own personal healing journey, I was initially skeptical but extremely curious. After researching further into the science behind frequencies and the effects they can have on both our physical and mental state I finally participated in my first sound bath session. It was a game changer for me! At first it could be quite emotionally challenging but I could tell something was shifting and it was a release, then came clarity and total relaxation- my insomnia was almost non existent. Fast forward a year and I had qualified to facilitate my own sessions and the response from my participants was overwhelming. I held a few sessions outdoors in nature and found an even deeper profound connection to oneself and the surrounding energy.
I feel so blessed to be invited to facilitate once again at the nature therapy conference and look forward to sharing the experience with you all!
Chris Grice
Wilderness Tribe CIC
Nature Therapy Conference UK
Workshop: Business For Hippies
In this informal Clinic Chris will be drawing on lessons learned in his business journey, we will be covering how to set up a social business, marketing, managing cashflow and lots of opportunities for any of those questions that you may have around starting, building and growing your social business idea.
Bio:
Chris is one of the founding Directors of Wilderness Tribe, which delivers a range of therapeutic interventions and capacity-building peer support programmes.
He is never happier than when he is in the woods practicing new bushcraft and ancestral skills or holding space in the ‘tribe’
As well as delivering the growth strategy for Wilderness tribe, Chris comes from almost 20 years of experience in managing, Marketing, building, and growing businesses.
Noel Hiers
Collaborative Perspectives
Enjoy a photographic journey as you learn how incorporating aspects of Shinrin Yoku into meditative and relaxation exercises truly amplifies the benefits of traditional therapy for treating anxiety and healing from trauma. While you already know the benefits of nature, this workshop will give you the facts to educate and convince others. Connecting with nature is a powerful way to assist individuals in stabilizing by engaging their parasympathetic nervous system. This workshop will review the key studies and trends from around the globe. Forest walks have been found to reduce cortisol levels, boost the immune system, and regulate blood pressure.
Enjoy another photographic journey as this workshop transforms lessons from nature into parables and examples that can be used in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Learn how to help people alter their perspective and reframe various situations. Learn how nature can break the cycle of perseveration. Recommendations on how to incorporate plants and natural elements into indoor spaces will also be included.
Bio:
I had such a great time at last year’s conference, that I decided to fly over from the United States again to continue learning from the Wilderness Tribe!” Noël is the owner of Collaborative Perspectives, LLC. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over twenty-five years of experience and has been utilizing the concepts of Shinrin-Yoku in her outdoor sessions with clients battling Anxiety, Depression, and chronic stress. As a child, Noël spent the majority of her time outdoors making mud pies, climbing trees, fishing, and horseback riding. As an adult, she recognizes that time outdoors is critical to her self-care as a trauma therapist. She has hiked around the globe and is passionate about public speaking and encouraging others to get outside. Her clinical expertise comes from working in outpatient settings, residential settings, street outreach, and in school settings. She earned a degree in Psychology from The College of New Jersey and her Master’s degree from Bryn Mawr’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research.
Rupert Loch
Feral Science
Prehistoric projectile propulsion; how early Modern Humans solved the problem of obtaining dinner (when it runs away)
Bio:
Rachel Shore
Join Rachel for an early morning start to mark International Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday May 4th. This is an immersive session where participants are guided through activities inspired by birdsong. The session will start with mindful meditations using the sense of sound to map out the layers of song in the wood land location. They are then directed through a mark-making activity to create their own visual bird song map. There is no art experience needed. The session/s will need to take place early morning in woodland.
Bio:
My career has a focus in designing and delivering arts engagement programmes with a number of charities for socially marginalised adults. In recent time this work has infused nature connection and creativity with nature practices. I am passionate to give opportunities for people who are often face barriers to engage with nature in immersive and imaginative ways. My next project is in the co- creation of a Butterfly Garden with women who access the charity M.A.S.H. . Over the years I have trained in a number of therapeutic approaches including counselling, creative therapy, mindfulness and Shinrin Yoku. I believe connection to nature is essential for our holistic health, igniting our senses, spirit and insight into something greater than ourselves.
Luke Slater
Wilderness Tribe CIC
This year, Luke’s introduction to talking circle in the outdoors returns. In this experiential session, you will look at and experience the structure of a peer support talking circle around the fire. Considering how to create a safe container and the benefits and barriers to doing it around a campfire. You will also learn and practice some approaches to sharpen your listening skills.
Bio:
Luke is a Co-Director of Wilderness Tribe, designing and delivering Wilderness therapeutic interventions for local authorities, schools and colleges. He is passionate about building safe and inclusive communities in nature and helping people find their purpose through community.
Jody Connolly
Bio:
Dr Rachel Skippon (L) and Lucy Powell (R)
Using nature-based practices to work with nervous system dysregulation. Dr Rachel Skippon & Lucy Powell
Bios:
Rachel is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. She is the Association of Clinical Psychologists – UK (ACP-UK) Director for Wales. Rachel co-developed and now co-leads the multi-disciplinary Living Well service in Betsi Cadwaladr University NHS Health Board. This award-winning team of works across the whole of North Wales using a community needs-led approach with people who have complex physical and mental health needs.
Rachel and the team have pioneered novel approaches to delivering the best care for patients by incorporating co-production at the heart of the service and introducing nature-based practice as a core intervention bridging the support between the service and discharge into the community.
Rachel has worked in many areas of clinical psychology practice ranging from supporting those with severe mental health difficulties in secure and forensic settings to working with children and families and also with people affected by a wide range of physical health difficulties. Throughout her practice Rachel has been influenced by a deep appreciation of the connection between mind and body and the effects of disconnection between these entities. Across her career she has used a range of therapeutic approaches that gradually coalesced into recognising and working with the ultimate benefits of supporting people through nature-based practices.
Social Worker and Founding Director at Outside Lives LTD.
I travelled to Spain, alone, in search of a more meaningful way to live. As part of this journey, I was introduced to the concept of Permaculture – an ecological approach to providing for our needs; including food, shelter and social structures and based on co-operating with nature and caring for the Earth and its people. The creative way in which it was taught demonstrated clearly that permaculture had so much more to offer than just an interesting way of gardening.
I realised the link between what I was learning and my background as a social worker. I could see that the principles and values that nature demonstrates can also be reflected in our society and communities and the way that relationships work and interact is integral to sustainability and resilience. This common-sense approach became the north star.
Visiting the centre in Spain I saw the beauty, complexity, productivity, abundance, growth, health, and vibrancy that a permaculture way of life supported. I came to understand however, that this just didn’t happen into existence, it involved the use of certain principles and design and so l began to imagine how I could create these qualities in myself, my home, my work, and crucially, in my community. The realisation that people’s habitats and lifestyles were often the barrier to sustainability, teamed with my enthusiasm for permaculture led me to start thinking of how something could be created locally, by the people, for the people – and that is how Outside Lives came about.
We started small to begin with, but it soon became clear that this new way of thinking had many roots in society and in nature, and from there the idea and the motivation grew. It may seem like a complicated notion, but in reality, it’s very simple, it comes down to a focus on three key things: Earth Care – People Care – Future Care as the basis for creating harmony and resilience for all living things.
Lucy founded Outside Lives in 2019 after working in social services for several years. Her commitment to social change and community development drives her leadership across all of Outside Lives’ projects. Lucy oversees the organisation’s direction, ensuring its mission and values are reflected in everything it does.
Ellie (L) and Karen (R)
Elevate Netwalking
Elevate Netwalking and Coaching Experience: Step Outside for Growth
At Elevate Netwalking, we aim to transform the workday experience by demonstrating that spending time outdoors in nature enhances productivity, well-being, personal growth, and professional development.
In today’s sedentary, technology-driven world, stress and burnout are on the rise. We believe that stepping outside and connecting with others in a natural setting can positively impact mental and physical health while fostering creativity, connection, and growth. By embracing movement, mindfulness, and nature, we create an environment that inspires innovation and well-being, allowing everyone to thrive.
Join Ellie and Karen for an outdoor group coaching session that incorporates the benefits of movement and mindfulness. Your hosts are accredited, qualified coaches who use nature as a co-facilitator to encourage fresh perspectives and provide powerful resources for inspiration and motivation, enhancing your personal and professional development. This environment fosters accountability, encourages creative problem-solving, and builds a sense of community among participants.
Bios:
Ellie, the founder of Elevate Netwalking, hosts events in Cheshire. With 20 years of experience working with diverse teams in corporate settings and small businesses, Ellie is known for her passion for fostering genuine connections. She blends her expertise in leadership and nature-based coaching to create a supportive space for local entrepreneurs. Her approach encourages small business owners to step away from daily routines, spark creativity, and find fresh perspectives through outdoor networking. Ellie is dedicated to building a thriving community of like-minded professionals who value well-being, sustainable growth, and authentic connections.