Please enjoy browsing some of my links below to websites of organisations of interest, and of friends and acquaintances.
Education and nature websites:
Wildwood Escot – part of the Wildwood Trust, an environmental wildlife charity for whom I work part-time as an environmental educator. I’m lucky enough to teach on a site with wolves, lynx, wild boar, red squirrels, an Anglo-Saxon village, lovely woodlands and a wonderful Swamp Walk – not to mention a beech hedge maze and a drop slide!
Devon Wildlife Trust – the local wildlife trust for my home county of Devon, working tirelessly with staff and volunteers to protect local wildlife and habitats, and campaign for better wildlife protection and zero-carbon action. My favourite nature reserve at present is Mincinglake Valley Park in Exeter – being able to walk there from my home during lockdown has helped to keep me sane!
Extinction Rebellion Exeter – the local XR group, holding local actions and participating in national activity by citizens to peacefully compell our UK government to take greater action on climate change and biodiversity. All are welcome to come to general meetings on Zoom (alternate Friday evenings or mornings), and to protests, actions and marches.
Forest School Association (FSA) – Forest School is an awesome outdoor pedagogical approach, which uses hands-on learner-directed activities in a woodland or other natural setting to develop participants’ confidence, self esteem, emotional intelligence and learning power. The FSA is the professional body and voice for Forest School in the UK.
Five A Day Market Garden – a community gardening project near Reading (Berkshire), which grows organic fruit and veg and offers volunteering opportunities and educational courses to local people of all ages and abilities.
Rushall Farm – an organic mixed arable and livestock farm near Bradfield (Berkshire) which runs an educational programme for schools (including residential camping), with educational charity The John Simonds Trust. I formerly worked there, as part of their education team.
BBOWT – the local wildlife trust for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, who own and manage many nature reserves across the three counties (including Thatcham Reedbeds and the Nature Discovery Centre, where I taught for BBOWT) as well as offering public events and wildlife conservation volunteering opportunities.
Hartslock Nature Reserve – a nature reserve at Goring, Oxfordshire, owned by BBOWT (Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust) and managed by its staff and volunteers, including my good friend Chris Raper. A superb example of chalk downland, and known for its colony of rare Monkey Orchids.
Wild Things – run by some of my good friends, this Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire based ecological education collective provides top-notch environmental education sessions to thousands of children and young people, using a mix of activities including Forest Schools, Earth Education and team building games.
Tachinid Recording Scheme – one of the websites of my friend Chris Raper, connected to his passion for entomology. Specifically, to his study of tachinids, a group of parasitic flies which he knows a phenomenal amount about. If hairy parasitic flies don’t float your boat, then do at least check out some of his microscopic photos of these beasties – they are truly amazing images! (And don’t be put off by mention of genitalia – entomologists have to look at these through microscopes. Apparently.)
Singing and music websites:
Sing The World – based in Newbury (Berkshire), this is the community choir which I used to co-lead with my friend Tessa Hall.
Natural Voice Network – I am a member of the NVN and teach singing following the Natural Voice philosophy and working principles.
Unicorn Voice Camp – a truly fabulous singing festival which happens every August: ten days of fabulous harmony singing, plus workshops, cabaret and performances, all in beautiful Wiltshire/Somerset countryside.
The Full English – a great online resource of traditional UK folk music, including scores, recordings and images. The most comprehensive searchable database of predominately English folk songs, tunes, dances and customs in the world.
Mudcat Cafe – another good online resource for anyone involved in music and singing. Very good forum with helpful folks who respond to requests for help about lyrics, song info, performers etc.
GIGAPUS – stands for Girls In Glasses And Playing Ukulele Society (of which I am a member). Ukuleles are everywhere, you can’t escape them so why not learn how to play one! I’m primarily a singer but I can plonk away on a uke when the fancy takes me…
Random friends’ websites:
Chris’s Blog – My friend Chris Raper is something of a polymath, working behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum, doing clever things on computers (thanks for all the help with this website, Chris!) but also being a whizz at photography and entomology. If you check out his blog he may have been photographing flies, visiting nature reserves or making sloe gin. Always a good read!
Ros Kitson – Ros is a good friend and holistic health practitioner, who also acts, sings and dances in numerous local amateur dramatic productions.
Alf – A friend who plays ukulele for fun but makes his living as a street performer and magician. Check out his Gargoyles walkabout – it’s big fun in a small package.
Creature Encounter – My friend Michael Crouch and his pal Jamie Duncombe create magical and marvellous characters including goblins, dragons, snowmen, flying carpets and penguins. Street performance at its very best!
Larger Than Life – friend John Caudrey, juggler and ukulele player extraordinaire, runs an entertainment agency which supplies anything from living statues to dragons. In my previous working life I used to stilt walk, juggle with knives and swing fire around. Now I teach kids to play with fire and knives at Forest School… Transferable skills are great.