Our Team
Lydia Coulson
Founder & Managing Director,
Forest School Practitioner
A secondary teacher of 14 years, with prior youth work experience, and currently completing my Forest School Training. With three young boys of my own, we love all things practical, outdoors and having fun.
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I am passionate about providing opportunities to enhance the wellbeing of all young people from diverse backgrounds with varied additional needs and love providing opportunities to meet the needs of each individual.
Neil McLaughlin
Founder & Director
I am a local business owner, having run my garden maintenance and landscaping company from Haydon Bridge for the last 12 years. I am passionate about enhancing and protecting nature, through sustainable working practices. I have 3 young boys who are very hands-on and love helping out in the garden.
Nurture Community Garden will create a thriving natural environment for people to collaboratively grow and share local produce, hopefully inspiring people to grow at home.
Siobhan Stephenson
Director & Forest School Practitioner
A retired (early!) outdoor Early Years Leader and qualified Forest School Leader, I now have a strong commitment to enabling our local community to be as resilient as possible so that we can cope with the issues that the climate & ecological emergency throw at us.
This project will encourage our community to form a strong connection both to our environment, and to each other, both of which are increasingly vital. I’m particularly interested in soil health, compost making and growing food locally. I am also a director at Haydon Bridge Development Trust.
Maria Bunting
Director
I am a retired art teacher. My interests are strongly based upon my belief in the strength of community, a lifelong interest in growing food and a joyful love of the natural environment.
I am secretary of our local allotments group and a longstanding member of the Soil Association.
"Nature breeds curiosity; it helps to grow explorers rather than robots. It reminds us that we are part of something bigger. It grounds us, calms us."
Ben Palmer Fry, Outdoor Learning Practitioner
Join Us...
Volunteering & Paid Opportunities
We are always looking to grow our network of volunteers and practitioners, leaders and assistants... through regular and one off paid employment opportunities and volunteer roles.
If you are qualified and/or experienced in child care, child development, education , forest school, youth work, or if you would like to run a workshop in nature arts & crafts, gardening techniques, healthy cooking, music, movement...Please get in touch!
Community Steering Group
We are seeking members of the community to join our steering group to help us design and deliver programmes that truly meet the needs of beneficiaries, if you would like to join us or simply send us some ideas please get in touch.
Young Leaders
Board
We are looking for a group of young people to inspire and plan youth clubs and activities, if you are interested in creating a fun environment and opportunities for young people please get in touch!