Riversmeet Community Cooperative - The Wild Collective: Nature group at Danaway Permaculture Homestead

The Wild Collective is a forest school-style, nature-based youth club run by Riversmeet Community Cooperative at Danaway Permaculture Homestead. These monthly, drop-off sessions are focused on nature connection and practical land-based skills, with activities centred around fire, shelter building, food and foraging, and tool use.

Sessions are self-directed and optional so participants can join in activities or spend time relaxing in the natural environment. Sessions are led by Sarah Lenehan, a Level 3 Forest School Practitioner, and supported by DBS-checked volunteers to ensure a safe, inclusive environment.

The pilot programme is subsidised by the Ernest Cook Trust, enabling the cooperative to offer the sessions at a low cost to local families. The approach emphasises young people shaping activities; organisers invite participant ideas and adapt sessions to interests and skill levels.

This event is intended for teens aged 13-16 (11-12 welcome to try if comfortable joining older peers). It is an in-person, community-focused learning opportunity that blends practical outdoor skills with peer connection and wellbeing in a rural homestead setting.