Back to the wild

BACK TO THe WILD

Based at Hellens Manor, Herefordshire, Back to the Wild CIC is a unique organization existing to support personal and social development by helping young people and adults reconnect with the natural environment and ecology. Hellens offers a fantastic context for the project within its ancient 58 acres Hallwood, wildflower meadows and the surrounding farmland.

Back to the Wild exists to:

  • Aid personal development for young people.
  • Facilitate better understanding of nature and our part in it.
  • Enhance positive mental and physical health through outdoor experiences
  • Share and learn new fundamental life-skills
  • Promote equality, cooperation, collaboration and harmony
  • Celebrate ancient and traditional rural skills and knowledge
  • Improve humanity’s relationship to the planet and Promote sustainable living

A little history

B2W was founded by Adam Munthe, Chairman of the PMM Charity Trust, following the Finnmark Expeditions in 2007 - a journey looking at climate change, which he led for the RGS by dog sledge through the Fennoscandia Arctic. Whilst on this journey, and on other previous expeditions, he witnessed first hand two considerable issues. How humanity’s development, in the specific context of global climate change, is impacting on the lives of indigenous peoples there, and the degree of self-reliance, self-knowledge, self-assurance, and independence achieved by those who had learnt to operate in nature, and as a part of nature. In such extremes, it might be argued, there were no other options. In Adam’s opinion there are no other options today.

On return he began working with schools in London offering residential B2W Projects at Hellens to further young people’s understanding of the world and to inspire a greater confidence to live in the world sustainably, as part of nature not separate from it. Over the past 12 years, the Back to the Wild project has flourished and grown. For the past 4 years we have received a 25% proportion of profits from the Hellens Garden Festival, which has enabled us to offer more projects each year to local groups.

Back to the Wild provides young people a place to learn new skills and meet new challenges. Activities have included sleeping in self- built shelters, camp fire cooking, map reading and navigation, coracling, foraging and woodland crafts; all delivered in a way that encourages participants to explore new ideas and ask questions both of themselves and of human culture.

The B2W Team is comprised of Kat Terry, Tim Gunner, Katrina Preston and Kieran Terry. In October 2018, we became a Community Interest Company (11653150) which will allow us to gently grow the project as we seek further funding.

If you would like to find out more about what we offer or if you know a group who would benefit from a Back to the Wild project please get in touch   Email :       b2wcic@gmail.com

B2W CIC   Founding Patron: Adam Munthe.   With gratitude for the support of the PMMCT

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