Governance
The Garden is a Community Interest Company, which for us means we’re driven by social and environmental justice, rather than financial reward and profit we make goes back into the project. We’re registered as childcare with OFSTED, so we can be more financially accessible to families.
We have a board of directors and decisions are made collaboratively, by consensus if at all possible and involving young people. We have plans to convert to a Community Benefit Society, to better reflect our power and decision making structures as a multistakeholder cooperative organisation.
We’re an Agile Learning Centre and a member of the Freedom to Learn network. We also position ourselves within the boundaries of The Bristol Commons.
Who we are
Adele Jarett-Kerr (Director) is a Trinidadian mother, writer, home educator, podcaster and self directed education facilitator and activist. A long time friend and supporter of The Garden, she founded Soulcraft, a self-directed, consent-based learning community for home educated young people in Cornwall in 2021.
Artemis Bear (Founder & Director) is a home educator, Forest School Leader and qualified teacher. An engineer, with a background in environmental policy, the role of education in culture and system change has become a focus. Artemis founded The Garden in 2016, works for Human Scale Education and is a co-creator in the Freedom to Learn network and The Bristol Commons.
Bess Spencer-Vellacott (Director & Mentor) is a facilitator, educator, forest school practitioner, co-counsellor, maker, musician, gardener and forager. They’re interested in exploring intersections between these strands and with social justice and transformation.
Bethany Wood (Director) is a parent of four, home educator, specialist teacher and Autism advocate. She is passionate about education and how outdoor environments can provide opportunities for young people to thrive and discover their passions.
Kirsty Green (Mentor) qualified as a primary school teacher almost a decade ago and since then have been exploring alternative forms of education, working on a city farm, at forest schools and studying for a masters in outdoor environmental education and outdoor life in Sweden. They’re passionate about using education to empower young people and their families.
Ollie Tarbuck (Director) has a degree in animation and has been working in the video games industry for over a decade. As well as running a video game company, they’re a step-parent to two young people and have an interest in community dynamics. They’re one of the stewards of the site and support projects at The Garden. Ollie is also a performer and show producer.
Sylvie Whitfield (Mentor) is a visual artist, illustrator and punk musician with a degree in Fine Art and Visual Culture. They are interested in nature, psychology and the value of creative wellbeing. Sylvie also loves cooking, mudlarking, play, yoga, reading and wild swimming. They have the future goal to study an MA in Art Therapy.
Our space
The Garden is set in an acre of secure, privately owned land in the heart of St Werburghs. The site is mainly woodland and has been planted for biodiversity, so is a very rich environment. We’re lucky to benefit from two ponds, which are rich in wildlife, including frogs, newts, mayflies and dragonflies.
There is a large heated yurt and two large covered seating areas. Next to the covered area is a meadow, compost loo and handwashing station. There are raised beds for growing veg, a sink with running water and we’re currently building an outdoor kitchen area. There are various other areas to discover, including dens, hammocks, tool use area, a mud kitchen, swings, gym rings, slide and a zip line.