Thank You
Our crowdfunding campaign to raise money for repairs, replacements for worn kit, and upgrades to accommodation and facilities in the main building has now officially closed.
So this is our opportunity to extend our thanks and a warm welcome to all of you Members who pledged your support.
As Members you are entitled to your say in the direction we're taking.
That’s not to exclude anyone from our community who might want to enjoy this wonderful spot and make your contribution to its thriving. There will be many opportunities to volunteer (see below) and we will anyway be welcoming many groups here that you may already be a member of, or might wish to join.
Of course, our main business continues to be with schools coming on their residentials. Our priority is to keep the children safe and stimulated.
The chance for Members’ voices to be heard in a formal setting face-to-face, will be at our AGM next Spring. At that meeting you will be able to review what we've been up to since 1st August (when Wylderne officially took over the Wilderness Centre) and you will have a chance to elect members to Wylderne’s Board, or even stand for Board membership yourself.
Meanwhile, any and all feedback about our activities or questions from our Forest and wider Gloucestershire community are very welcome. Use the contact tab above.
Please keep an eye out for our Habitat Development Plan - our thoughts as to how to bring even more biodiversity to the Wilderness. This will go live in the next two weeks and it will be full of practical things to do. We hope to offer something for a whole range of volunteering abilities.
We will be announcing a date shortly to present this Plan to a public meeting so that people can ask questions, bring their ideas, and challenge the thinking behind it.
So for now, it just remains to say once again a big thank you. And to encourage all of you who haven’t yet invested to become a share-holding member.
If the minimum investment of £50 is too much all in one go, you can spread it over 10 months. More here. The crowdfunding page will continue to accept donations after the closing date.
You can download a copy of our Share Offer document here.
And a copy of our Business Plan is here
If, however, your preference is to make a donation, please contact us at info@wylderne.com.
Read more about our long term vision below.
And be sure to bookmark this website.
Our long term vision
Wylderne is an evolution of the outdoor activities and residential experience that the Wilderness has offered for over 50 years.
Our vision is now to be a learning centre for the whole Forest community. One way of describing what we’re becoming is to call us a ‘bioregioning’ centre
You can read more about bioregioning here.
Suffice to say, given its facilities, history and ecological vitality the Wilderness is a natural hub for people to connect with each other, and with Nature.
Children and young people are at the heart of our vision. Building thriving lives through good mental and physical health with an appreciation of how the natural world works will be a central theme in Wylderne’s programmes and activities.
There is untapped potential here in the Forest, a place between three rivers: the Severn, the Wye and the Leadon. While it is an ‘edge’ place, sometimes forgotten, against the ancient boundary between England and Wales, it has also always been a ‘working forest’. And a place which from time to time has played a central role in the story of the whole country. You could add the wider world, too, for the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution was here in the lower Wye Valley. What role might it take now, given we are moving towards a greener economy? The Wilderness, as a Forest-wide learning centre could be where we find this out.