Our colleagues Kayleigh, and Hollie, took a visit to Woven Earth, and sat down to have a chat with one of its directors Miriam, and see the fantastic work they are doing to reintegrate nature into our food, wellbeing and communities.

Having only recently opened their doors earlier this year, their activities have already been extremely popular. Miriam's journey to Woven Earth began when she took an alternative approach to traditional conservation efforts after studying ecology for years and wanted to lessen the pressure on our nature reserves by helping drive the change in agricultural systems. She is passionate about encouraging people to imagine a landscape where people and production are at one with nature, something she says most people find hard to imagine. This notion has driven her efforts as one of the team at Woven Earth, running a range of different community-led and education-based activities.

Connecting People with Nature

Woven Earth has been encouraging people to come and visit the farm to go on wildlife walks, led by Antony Pooles of Natural Derbyshire Tours; which have proved to be a hit. Visitors have had the pleasure of guided walks on birds, bats and butterflies, and Miriam is keen to start a bird of prey walk; buzzards, kestrels, peregrines and red kites have been spotted in the area! Having access to see some amazing species you may otherwise not be able to can be so inspirational to people wanting to engage with nature and it is so fantastic to see the team at Woven Earth opening their doors to allow people this opportunity. 

Alongside this, a variety of activities at the farm are taking place, including a community supported agricultural scheme that aims to allow people to grow and cultivate their own food and bridge the gaps between food production, farmers, and consumers. Miriam spoke about how food has the power to both connect and divide people. She hopes that through community-led care farms and inspiring young people to take action to look after their own pieces of land we can make a real difference to people and the environment. Miriam really hopes the farm can be a case study to show that regenerative farming is effective and bring together the farming and conservation communities by providing something for everyone.

There is also a big focus on nature-connectedness, with therapeutic and community focused aspects to all the events such as nature writing and poetry workshops led by local poet Sophie Sparham. The University of Derby are interested in working with the farm to weave this in too, and Woven Earth is even offering students the opportunity to come and do fieldwork at the farm as an alternative to going abroad to help focus on a new approach to conservation and rewilding here in the UK.

A unique feature of the farm is its aim of being an inclusive space to welcome groups to the countryside via a safe space. Alongside regular volunteer days and community events, such as pizzas and firepits, a group have started a ‘Queer Campfire’ and similar projects to encourage groups who may not always feel welcomed, to feel comfortable and at home within the countryside setting. Woven Earth has also set up a sensory garden for visitors that is accessible during community events for people to go to if they are feeling overwhelmed and provide a safe space for them to relax.

Future Plans

Woven Earth are now part of our new ‘Wild Peak’ Project, rewilding their land and helping encourage other landowners to do a similar thing by showing how people and nature can thrive together. They strive for a landscape that honours and incorporates native ecological roles, including those of people and livestock, to allow the full beneficial potential of the land to be unleashed whilst giving visitors a hands-on experience and teaching them about how to look after the land and get connected with wildlife.

Woven Earth hopes to continue increasing the accessibility of the farm in the future. They hope to provide the local community with a place to be a part of nature, food production, rewildling and somewhere to relax. A really important thing for the farm is to help people to realise when they look at the history of our planet is that they are not inherently bad; there’s so much good we can do for the planet, we just have to know how to and learn to adapt and do things in a different way.

When asked about tips for people wanting to start up their own nature-based projects, Miriam's advice was quite simple: don’t give up! Whilst it can feel really difficult at times, continuing to make small connections, learning more and engaging with people will pay off. She said it’s been worth investing the time in the smaller actions as you get the rewards when they start coming together-words we definitely like to live by.

To find out more about the Wild Peak project, visit our webpage in the link below.

Wild Peak Project

There’s lots of similar Team Wilder actions you can do in your own homes, just like Woven Earth! You could Go Potty for wildlife and plant flowers or your own food to cultivate at home or help Bring Birds Back to your garden or local area and have wildlife watches in your own backyard! Whatever it may be, have a look at our Team Wilder page to see how you could be our next champion and take action for nature! Got your own project or ideas you want to share? Get in touch with us at wilder@derbyshirewt.co.uk

If you've been inspired by the work at Woven Earth, you can find out more information on their website, or take a look at Miriam's book, Emergent, which explores the relationships that bind our world together. 

Woven Earth Emergent by Miriam Kate McDonald

Christmas Event

Woven Earth are holding a Christmas event up at the farm on the 11th December with wreath making, forest school activities, a wildlife walk and children's wildlife hunt. Follow the link to find out more!

Christmas Crafts Day