EDUCATION, ART & REWILDING
Found Outdoors CIC is a 54 acre rewilding project in the heart of Wiltshire.
We host workshops and retreats for education, art and wellbeing - connecting people of all ages with nature.
We also hire green spaces in our woodland and fields.
"A beautiful place. I have attended bat walks, mindfulness sessions and an acoustic gig, all in stunning woodland surroundings in a space which feels like you're immediately a friend. Highly recommend!"
What's it all about?
We are part rewilding and education project and part event space, blending science and art. Our approach to rewilding is light touch with minimal intervention to prioritise nature. The project is run by us, Fiona and Rich, with a bit of help from our friends, and is almost entirely self funded to date.
The land consists of two large areas of woodland, two meadows and five seasonal ponds. We are constantly developing our site facilities and creating spaces for small groups and low impact events. These include forest school, wellbeing sessions, forest bathing, yoga, bushcraft, spoon carving, artist retreats, bushcraft etc.
"We know changing our small piece of land isn’t going to change the world, but if everyone does a bit, then together we can."
Through our management of the land we aim to improve the biodiversity, have a (small) positive impact on climate change, help reconnect people with nature and pass on everything we learn.
We work with schools, charities, youth and arts groups, universities and individual practitioners. If you've got an event, workshop or idea you'd like to make happen, we would love to hear from you. Just drop us a message on our contact page.
We also have plenty of work experience opportunities, so if you're a budding ecologist or interested in rewilding and land management or any other related field (pun intended!) please get in touch.
Nature
Our ethos is very much one of balance, so for us plants and animals are as important as people.
We are grateful to be working with some excellent environmental advisors to establish what plants and animals are residing on our site and to develop best practice moving forward. Through our rewilding and land management program our aim is to protect the habitats that already exist and increase biodiversity where possible. It's all about the science!
"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it." - Robert Swan OBE, explorer.
In common with most of the British Isles, the land here has been managed by humans for hundreds of years - a mixture of farming, park land and old tree plantations. It’s not wild in the true sense of an untouched natural ecosystem but it’s a special place that has been left pretty much to itself for several decades. Check out our Instagram to see photos of some of the animals who make their home here.
Biological Recording
We’re just starting our long term project to create more detailed surveys of the flora and fauna, and are excited to meet and work with new people. If this is your area of expertise, and would be interested in getting involved, we would love to hear from you - please do get in touch.
People, Workshops & Events
Reconnecting people with nature is at our core. A visit to Found Outdoors is intended to feel as wild as possible. Access is available for pre-booked groups and we rotate available spaces to keep human impact at a minimum and allow the land to recover.
We aren't completely without modern convenience though. We have a wooden barn (built mainly from our own trees), several small low impact shelters, drinking water, compost toilet and fire pit areas. We can also supply hot drinks and packed lunches as required.
"What an amazing place, with a welcoming host. Our group spent a mindful day among the tall trees. The guided walk down to the ponds took us through such a variety of tracks and loops. A memorable day - thank you."
Booking a space/Plan an Event
Our spaces can be booked for anything from a one-to-one session (eg walking therapy), to a group of up to around 30 people for public or private activities.
“Thank you so much for letting us use Found Outdoors for the media event. It was the perfect venue, the BBC LOVED IT and the young people all had a fantastic evening with their mentors. We're so grateful for your support!”
If you want to know more and/or discuss booking a space for your group please get in touch to find out what we can offer. We'd love to hear from you. Pricing is flexible and can be tailored to suit most requirements.
Artists Residencies
Since our inception in 2020 we've had the pleasure of hosting many artists on the land. These have ranged from long term, monthly visits, through to short stays (micro residencies) on site in one of our bell tents. Fiona's years of experience as a curator and visual arts events organiser across multiple local arts venues has helped us guide our work in connecting artists with the natural space on our site.
This has resulted in many responses including film, illustration, installed sculpture and creative writing (book coming soon). For more information on residency opportunities please contact Fiona.
Forest School
Forest school and getting children into nature is at the core of what we do. Although our original forest school - Hannah's Wild Hearts - is currently on hiatus due to long term illness, we currently host sessions run by Sisu Forest School. See what is available on our forest school page.
In addition to Sisu, we are pleased to have a longstanding relationship with our local Holy Trinity Primary School who have their own forest school space for pupils across all year groups.
Forest School Trainees
We are also delighted to host trainee forest school leaders to run sessions as part of their qualifications. If you'd like to complete your forest school training in one of our woodland spaces please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!
"Thank you so much to Rich and Fiona for letting me use their stunning setting to hold my very first six sessions as a forest school leader. It's been a wonderful start to my leadership journey."
Wiltshire Spoon Club
In 2025 we ran our first spoon carving workshops with the wonderful Beck and Kathryn. This is not only a popular skill to learn but also a really relaxing pastime.
As an offshoot of these one day courses we now run a monthly spoon club. The club is open to anyone who has attended one of our workshops or is already an experienced carver. It's a fun, welcoming, social get together to carve, chat and share knowledge.
Wiltshire Small Rewilders
In January 2024 we launched Wiltshire Small Rewilders (WSR) network for everyone from back garden rewilders up to around 50ish acres.
We recognised that many rewilding projects are small scale and often lack the resources of their larger peers. WSR is a volunteer run network providing support and knowledge sharing for small rewilding projects, and those thinking of starting a new project, across Wiltshire and the surrounding area.
The project is run in conjunction with Jonathan Tompson of Underhill Wood Nature Reserve and backed by Rewilding Britain.
"Thank you for hosting such an amazing day – you have a truly incredible project in the making."
