Our Story

It all started in 2016 with 'The New Futures Academy’ a project to start a small further education college that was fundementally grounded in ecological learning, through all aspects of it’s culture and curriculum. It was a great idea…but overtime however, n the process of consulting with local young people, educational experts, funding organisatons, parents, local schools and colleges, as well as running pilot workshops and activities, the project evolved into something else....

 

Finding the right location for the project was a challenge right from the outset. In May 2019 however, Chris pitched the New Futures idea at the Totnes Local Entrepreneurs Forum’s ‘Community of Dragons’ event, asking for support with finding a venue. This was how we found the site at Little Barton - Al Tempest, founder and inspirational director of The Woodlands Presents had just the most perfect piece of land, which he was happy for us to use for our premises. Amazing! all we needed now was a classroom on this lovely land… or at least some kind of temporary covered structure that blended with the outdoor learning space to begin with that we could purchase on a shoestring budget. Here’s where our gorgeous yurt came in…Chris actually found it by accident whilst looking at a second hand marquee website. It was 24ft wide and only £1500! The canvas was good but the wooden structure was in a sorry state. With the help of a fantastic team of volunteers and a bit of expertise from local yurt building expert Toby Fairlove, Our Krygstani Yurt was brought back to life. We had the site, we had the yurt…and then we had the UK lockdown. Coming out of lockdown, after listening to requests and enquiries from parents, it became aparent that there was a real need locally for a supportive and sensitively facilitated outdoor learning space for local teenagers to go to at weekends. This was how the Youth Mentoring Programme came to be and the New Futures Academy became an informal, non curriculum outdoor learning space where young people got to explore and learn from nature (and each other) without any expectations of achievement or ‘grading’. It became an place of exchange; an exchange of practical skills, listening, support, art and inspiration. It became a place of celebration; of nature, of community and wellbeing.

 

In time, Richard and Jenna joined Chris as group facilitators, sharing ideas and skills. Before long, Chris, Jenna and Richard began to realise that something else was happening here; a community was growing around the space, a community of like minded people, each wanting to share and learn from their love of the natural world. One autumn evening in 2022, by the light of the yurt’s woodburning stove, fuelled by cake, tea and inspiration, the three facilitators met to discuss the future of the New Futures project…..and The Hedgewise Collective was born. 

 

Almost instantaneously, and quite organically, the collective began to grow. With the youth group taking a winter break, Chris needed more people to be using the space through the winter months to help look after the space. This Jenna and Richard each knew of other makers and group faciliators locally who were interested in using the space; this brought in Emelia, Honor and Elizabeth, each of them loved the idea of joining the collective, each of them with some fantastic skills and ideas to share through workshops and making.

 

So that is where we are today. Are we a newly formed collective or the latest regeneration of an established project? What does the future hold for us? who can say?  - but welcome! join us on this journey, follow us on social media and come and join a workshop or two!