44 Courses

shilpa reddy flower design

Shilpa Reddy started her eponymous floral design company in 2015, following a career change from medicine, creating beautiful floral displays for weddings and events in and around London. Her mobile flower school provides corporate companies and private individuals with luxury flower arranging, terrarium making and Christmas wreath making workshops.

learn to wreath

Janine and Lucy have both worked in a teaching environment for over 8 years and have been making Christmas wreaths for over 5 years. Last Christmas (2021) we taught over 70 people how to make a Christmas Wreaths at Hawley Garden Centre. Our workshops were a huge success and we are back again for Christmas 2022. We are passionate about wreath making and would love to start your Christmas 2022 with some creative and 'wreathy' fun!

mapp of london

Emma and I wear many hats: from designer and photographer to maker and workshop tutor. One of my first passions was photography, strongly inspired by my father and my uncle, who were both talented amateur photographers. Growing up in Namibia and South Africa, I remember my dad always having a camera in hand, recording our childhood or the stunning African landscape. As a teenager I poured over magazines like National Geographic, Drum and Life, feeling transported to distant lands through the incredible photography. I longed to leave school and travel the world, taking my own photographs. Eventually I got the chance to travel to many wonderful countries. But life got in the way and instead of pursuing my creative passions, I ended up working as a lawyer in London. The 2009 recession was a turning point in my life. Having been made redundant from my job in the City, I resolved to take the plunge and pursue a career that would make me feel more fulfilled. I decided to return to my childhood passion of photography. It’s a decision I’ve never regretted as it has led to some amazing opportunities, from co-founding the London Photo Festival to having my work featured in publications including The Telegraph and the Metro. It’s also taken me in directions I never could have anticipated. My frustration at having to juggle a bulky, unattractive camera bag as well as a handbag led me to create my own range of stylish camera bags and accessories. Over the past few years, I’ve become increasingly interested in sustainability, with an emphasis on using eco dyes, natural resources and recycled material. I now run classes along these principles which have been featured in Country Loving and Breath magazines. These take places in my she-shed in Twickenham and range from Christmas wreath making to cyanotype printing – “nature's printing press” – a more eco-friendly form of photography that is particularly effective at capturing texture. As a result of the pandemic, I’ve also started selling DIY creative kits so that you can try these crafts out in the comfort of your own home. It’s been gratifying to see these becoming so popular – my Christmas bauble kit appeared in the Metro and The Sunday Telegraph. To see more of what I’m up to or to hear about the latest classes, follow me on social media.

made by me workshops

My name is Helen and I have been crafting since I was a child. Made by Me Workshops was born out of my love of crafting and sharing knowledge. I have spent recent years teaching various crafts and enjoy sharing all the positive benefits that being creative brings. Now more than ever being creative can help improve mood and wellbeing. From my own perspective crafting helps me deal with stress and provides relaxation in a busy world. I love spending time with like-minded people who enjoy the thrill of creating something that whilst not always perfect is perfect to them. Made by Me is more than just crafting workshops, it is about bringing people together. The aim is not just the experience of crafting but taking time away from daily stresses to relax, laugh, create, discover and enjoy some “me” time. At the end of the workshop you will have something you have made and hopefully have met some lovely fellow crafters. There are a range of activities available at my workshop located on the outskirts of Bradford on Avon (Bath side). If you don’t see what you are looking for do drop me a message as I will be arranging local tutors to extend what is available so whether it’s textile printing, glass work, macrame or crochet I will be aiming to accommodate your requests.

alitex

Initially established in 1952 in Alton, we moved a few miles down the road in 2001 to our wonderful home – Torberry Farm in the South Downs. Torberry has become a stunning show site enabling us to manufacture everything here in the UK; we create the most beautiful bespoke greenhouses in the world. From our original horticultural roots in the 50s, we have since developed our flagship Thomas Messenger glasshouse, launched the National Trust Collection of greenhouses in 2004, established a flourishing overseas market and earned a fabulous endorsement from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. We continue to invest in our research and development for ongoing product improvement and creation.

cultivating learning and nature cic

We are passionate about enaging people of all ages in ecological issues, natural history and wildlife. We run Community Events such as Moth Breakfasts (opposite) and Community Mothing and have run courses for schools, youth groups, community organisations and home schoolers. We have a multitude of illustrated talks which have gone down a storm at local gardening clubs and Women’s Institutes. We even appeared as a guest lecturer at Birmingham University – examples are listed here The Nomadic Museum of Natural History is a combination of street theatre and education tool. Formulated out of an idea of a ‘Cabinet of Curiosity’ and the plethora of natural history items in our house it slowly became a 1m long transportable natural history museum. We have since taken in all over the country to festivals, events and private functions. For more detail click here Environmental Consultancy Our resident ecologist Tim has carried out a wide number of projects over the years. Primarily a botanist he has developed skills as an all round naturalist. He has been commissioned on work involving Newt and reptile relocation and survey work at Moredon Park, Swindon Bat monitoring on the Bats in Churches project, Herefordshire Meadow restoration projects in Peterchurch, Herefordshire Badger mitigation work at Snodhill Castle, Herefordshire A summary of his skills is available here Teaching Trees For over 20 years, Teaching Trees been connecting schools with local woodlands across England and Wales. We have been employed to run the programme for Herefordshire and Worcestershire which we have done since 2017. It is funded by the Royal Forestry Society and aims to connect children to woodlands and get them to understand the trees, wildlife and production of timber that are essential for all our health. For more details please visit their website. Traditional Crafts We can offer a range of traditional and modern crafts. However we are experts at introducing people to Wool craft and tour the country as the Woolly Circus. All aspects of wool are covered: wet felting, needle felting, weaving, spinning and preperarion of fleeces. We also offer Green Woodworking courses which include Whittling to make spoons and other items from greenwood with axe, knife and crook knife. We are adept at many crafts and in the past have run workshops in knotwork, origami, willow weaving, pewter smithing with cuttlefish, sewing, leatherwork, stone age craft, decoupage and home made toileteries. We are available to run craft activities at festivals, events, parties and groups. Past events we have run workshops at have been: Green Man Festival Folk by the Oak Festival Larmer Tree Frestival Lakefest Spring Greens Hellens Manor The Big Skill Community Christmas Wreath Making in Peterchurch Christmas Fairs and school events Stag and Hen dos Gardening We take a holistic view to gardening with looking and observing wildlife being key to what we do. ClaN have helped to deliver gardening in schools as well as offering advice and design Our resident ecologist, Tim, can help you run a bioblitz in your garden or grounds to see what unexpected creatures you can find We also offer evening moth surveys or moth breakfasts. This is a fantastic opportunity to discover some of the wonderful moths we have in this country….prepare to be amazed!

tin shed studio hampshire

backwoods experiences

Discover a range of experiences that will get you doing something different. Experiences range from Campfire Cooking to Wreath Making, and from Axe-throwing to Plant Propagation, all in the woodland setting of Stotts Nursery in Stokenchurch, just a 30 minute train ride from London.

linda clark - the spotted dog flower co

My name is Linda and I have been working full time growing and selling flowers since 2014. Prior to this I worked in the constrution industry for many years, initially in administration and marketing, followed 12 years as PA to the Chairman, through the highs and lows building roads and sewage systems! Then a move into the IT department managing the teams installating IT and telecoms on big construction sites and a lot less exciting stuff resulting in spending far too much time on Doncaster railway station. Time for a change!! Joining the fledgling organisation Flowers from the Farm (FFTF) in 2012 when members numbered around 50, led to becoming co-ordinator for the East Midlands region in 2015 and Co-Chair for a two year fixed term 2018-20. Since I joined FFTF has grown to nearly 1000 members championing local grown flowers. My business increased from selling a few bunches of flowers a week to supplying flowers and floristry for weddings, funerals and in 2020 a big expansion in selling flowers to the general public, followed by a return to farmers’ markets in 2021 where from March to September you will find The Spotted Dog at Brigg, Lincoln and Saxilby. My flowers are grown with the environment in mind. The poly tunnel is unheated, the greenhouse uses electric for only two months of the year, the flowers pesticide free and tonnes of compost are supplied from our own horses and livestock every year, supplemented by bulk green waste. Flowers are supplied wrapped in kraft paper or re-useable vases or buckets depending on volume supplied! I use primarily British flowers, either grown by myself or sourced from other growers, locally in Lincolnshire and Cornwall early/late season. On very rare occasions I will use carefully sourced imported flowers if needed for the work being undertaken although more and more customers are requesting “only British” and are happy to work with the seasons. Media mentions have included BBC Radio 4 Open Country with Helen Mark on her programme ‘Inspired by Flowers in Lincolnshire’, Radio 4 ‘Farming Today’ during British Flowers Week, Radio Newark with Girls About Town, BBC television for RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018 when I was filmed cutting flowers to ready to transport to London for use in the Flowers from the Farm exhibit when the amazing team won a gold medal. There have also been articles in My Weekly Magazine, Flower Arranger magazine, The Gainsborough Standard, The Lincoln Business Journal and in 2020 The Daily Telegraph in an article about the flower industry during the Covid pandemic. In 2021 I was delighted to welcome Lizzie Musham from BBC Radio Lincolnshire for a field walk ahead of FFTF Flower Farmers Big Weekend and we met up again in November when she joined one of our wreath making workshops at The Cross Keys Stow and made a wreath live on air! I’m passionate about promoting natural funeral flowers suitable for green burial grounds, never use floral foam and in 2020 became an associate member of the Association of Green Funeral Directors. My wedding flowers have appeared on Love My Dress and Rock My Wedding blogs and I undertake weddings only within a 50 mile radius of my home.

the crieff food company

The Crieff Food Co specialises in locally sourced products. Our butchery, bakery and cafe are all packed full with local delights waiting to be discovered.