the human nature project

Bristol

Human Nature is a network of nature-lovers, a bid made in what is clearly a time of great need to reverse the established principles used by all the major conservation organizations and rewrite the story on our terms. Nature should be a universal language accessible to all people regardless of race, background or socio-economic status. Yet in this modern world of apartment blocks and iPhones, it is rapidly being driven out of sight and mind. At Human Nature, we are working to reverse this trend: communicating innovatively and effectively the true place that humanity should hold in this world, erasing the tragedy of the commons and bringing nature into the collective consciousness as a positive force to be shared by all. Over the centuries, our species has developed an intricate web of barriers and blockades to separate ourselves both mentally and physically from other lifeforms. We perceive ourselves as uniquely cultured, somehow divinely selected to sit one rung above the rest on the great chain of being- blessed with a superior intelligence and thus untouchable. Obvious parallels could be drawn with colonial views of indigenous groups, and the uphill battle being fought to this day to uproot such age-old paradigms. It’s clear we have a long road ahead, but as events of recent times have shown, the momentum is already shifting. There was a time for multinational charity figureheads, with their steady if slow governance of environmental matters. That time has now passed. And with it rises a new dawn, a blossoming sun signalling the new era of conservation- nature for the people, by the people, and with the people

steve england outdoor learning

Lockleaze

teve England Outdoor Learning was founded by Steve England, Conservation Educator, Horticulturist and Historian. Steve has extensive experience of working with schools, community and youth groups across Bristol to engage young (and older) people in outdoor learning and has worked in Stoke Park Estate for more than 40 years. Steve is a multi-award winning outdoor learning professional whose work is well-respected in Bristol and Nationally. Steve England Dogs In 2013, Steve was inducted into the Bristol Walk of Fame at Bristol Zoo in recognition of his work as a local conservation educator. In the same year, Steve was runner up in the UK’s ‘Council for Learning outside the Classroom’s’ “Lifetime Contribution to LOtC” award. He was recently awarded the Avon & Somerset Police Commissioner’s ‘Pride Award’ for his work supporting young people with a wide range of previous skills and experience, and engaging young people in positive outdoor learning activities at Stoke Park Estate. Throughout 2015, Steve has been working with Avon Wildlife Trust on the ‘My Wild City Project’ which aims to turn the whole of Bristol into a nature reserve. Steve is one of the project’s ‘My Wild City Champions.’ Steve has spent his life working in Stoke Park Estate and the nearby Frome Valley, witnessing and contributing to many changes aimed at improving Bristol’s wildlife. Steve continues to volunteer at Stoke Park Estate, supporting Stoke Park Action Group and other community-based organisations to maintain and develop the park for the benefit of the wider community. This work was recently recognised by Bristol Natural History Consortium which awarded Steve ‘Bristol’s Green Volunteer of the Year,’ in recognition of his ongoing commitment to improving the natural environment.

west of england falconry

Bath

West of England Falconry (WoEF) was established in 2009 inspired by Director Jay Marshall’s lifelong interest in ornithology. WoEF is a registered charity dedicated to the well-being, education and conservation of birds of prey. “It was an experience similar to the ones we now offer the public which prompted me to learn more about falconry. After working with experienced falconers I started to develop a private collection and aviaries of my own. West of England Falconry started in 2009 and has subsequently been granted charitable status in 2013” says Jay. Experiences have always been well reviewed and continued to grow in popularity. WoEF received their first TripAdvisor certificate of excellence in 2015 and have done every year since and is now in the 'Hall of Fame'. In 2015 Naomi Johns met Jay and started working with him as a volunteer. Today Naomi now runs the centre alongside a brilliant team of staff and volunteers. WoEF’s work aims to benefit both wild and captive birds of prey through training and (very importantly) rescue and rehabilitation. Education, information and promoting and sustaining the art of falconry are also a high priority. Due to redevelopment proposals forcing relocation at short notice in early 2017, WoEF moved to Newton St Loe, where the local Duchy of Cornwall office supported us by providing larger premises. WoEF took full advantage of this opportunity and opened The Owlery in October 2017 with 15 more resident birds. WoEF received a Gold award for the Learning Experience of the year in the Bristol, Bath and Somerset Tourism Awards in November 2017, and then went on to accept the Silver award for the whole of the South West. In April 2019, DEFRA granted WoEF a Zoo License, becoming Baths first Zoo, commending a high standard of animal care and commitment to charitable conservation and education activities. In November of 2019 West of England Falconry received a further four Bristol, Bath and Somerset tourism awards for the Small Visitor Attraction of the year, International Tourism, the Learning Experience of the year and for Accessibility and Inclusivity. 'We have come a long way in recent years, but we will of course continue to inspire visitors, to conserve, to work harder for a safer future for wild birds of prey, for the environment and for falconry' says Director Naomi Johns. West of England Falconry Ltd. is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. Its company number is 07495749, its charity number is 1152982. The company's correspondence address is: The Grain Store, Newton St Loe, Bath, BA2 9BT.

bristol forest school

Bristol

BFS has a number of STAFF and VOLUNTEERS who assist in running our forest school sessions, planning activities and preparing resources. All BFS staff who lead sessions alone are fully Forest School qualified, DBS checked, First Aid trained and they hold Public Liability Insurance. They include… ANDY WILSON founded Bristol Forest School in 2004. He trained with the original Forest School cohort from Bridgwater College, and has a wealth of experience from 18 years forest school teaching. Andy runs regular Forest School sessions and parties at both the BFS woodland and in schools throughout Bristol. He also runs Forest School staff training. As Woodland Manager, Andy has successfully transformed the BFS site into a beautiful and accessible educational space; he monitors our ecological footprint through an environmentally sustainable attitude to Our Woodland. SOPHIE BUTLER joined Andy in 2011 and together they expanded Bristol Forest School. She is a trained Early Years teacher and qualified as a Level Three Forest School Leader in 2012. Sophie’s passion for nature and sustainability has grown over the years since living off-grid in an eco village in Hawaii. Sophie established the BFS Pre-Schools, the Saturday Club Minis and Adventurers. She now supports the running of these groups and is responsible for BFS’s policies, website and social media. HANNAH BUSHELL joined the BFS staff team in 2015 following a dedicated volunteering stint and completing her Level Three Forest School. Hannah is an experienced primary school teacher who works part-time in a Steiner Kindergarten as well as undertaking the nature connection course ‘Call of the Wild’. Hannah runs our specialist CCS days for adopted children and their families. To contact Hannah, please email hannah@bristolforestschool.co.uk. LUCY ROSE HARRIS is a qualified primary school teacher with six years teaching experience. Lucy gained her Forest School Level 3 Award in 2014 and is passionate about promoting outdoor learning opportunities, a love of nature and fun adventures for children. Lucy joined Bristol Forest School in 2017 and, following some maternity time with baby Luna, she is now back in our Pre-School team. LOUISE SPELLWARD is a qualified Horticulturalist and garden designer with a background in Environmental Conservation. Her first experience of Bristol Forest School was as a parent attending with her son; not wanting to miss out on the fun, she decided to train in Forest School herself and completed her Level 3. In 2019 Lou took on the Bristol Forest School Pre-School. To contact her, email lou@bristolforestschool.co.uk KATE BERRY is an art educator with 16 years’ experience delivering workshops in natural history, conservation, poetry, story creation, art, design and photography. She is passionate about outdoor education and wildlife conservation. Kate has worked at Bristol Forest School since 2016 and has a Level 3 Forest School qualification. In 2019 Kate began leading the Saturday Minis with Lou and Melissa. To contact her, email kate@bristolforestschool.co.uk VERONIKA SIMON studied agricultural engineering before working as a special needs teacher for primary school children with EBD as well as in a nursery for Pre-School children. Veronika enjoys sharing her passion for nature and animals and can often be found in her allotment digging or watching the bees! Veronika became a qualified Forest School leader in 2018; she started volunteering with Bristol Forest School in 2020 and now runs schools sessions and BFS parties. BESS SPENCER worked as an ‘Access to Nature’ play-worker in inner city London and trained as a Forest School leader in 2018. She now practices and teaches co-counselling and nature-facilitation activities using Tom Brown’s Apache derived techniques. At Bristol Forest School, Bess assists with our school sessions. MELISSA GAULT is a qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader and is currently studying to become an Early Years educator. She loves getting out into nature as much as possible! Melissa has been supporting Bristol Forest School since January 2018. She began as a volunteer for the Saturday Minis and is now a fully fledged member of the Pre-School team. MILLY BAILEY has an environmental background – she moved from working in an office as an environmental consultant, to the forest – which she much prefers. Milly has a passion for connecting herself and others to the natural world: she is a keen hiker, forager and wild swimmer. Milly started volunteering with Bristol Forest School in 2019 and now works as part of the Pre-School team.

avon local history & archaeology

Stoke Gifford

ALHA (Avon Local History & Archaeology) is an umbrella group, aiming to encourage and coordinate activities of the various local history, archaeological and heritage groups that lie within the Avon area. Our area is the former County of Avon, now the council areas of Bath & North-East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire in the West of England. There are some eighty societies in ALHA, with a collective membership of about 10,000. Some are region-wide but with special interests like the Bristol & Avon Family History Society; while many are parish- or district-based. They are listed on our Groups page. We also have links with local institutions, such as Record Offices, Libraries, Museums and Universities. We are managed by an elected Executive Committee meeting once a quarter, and operate through a small number of voluntary officers. Membership of ALHA is open to both groups or other institutions, and to individuals. Group members receive a free copy of the Speakers List and all members receive a copy of the Newsletter. Subscriptions are low, and details can be found here: ALHA Membership We have a comprehensive listing of our local groups for you to explore all in one place, whether your interest is Archaeological, Local History, Family History, Museums, Conservation, Education & Activities or more Specialised Interests