Wild Service - Why Nature Needs You
Go on an experiential journey of belonging with the authors of ‘Wild Service’ BOOK NOWWHEN:
Friday 27 – Sunday 29 September 2024
TUTORS:
Emma Linford, Dal Kular, Nicola Chester, Maria Fernandez Garcia
VENUE:
Dartington Trust, South Devon
AGE SUITABILITY:
PRICING (Bursaries are available):
COURSE FEE
£290
COURSE FEE PLUS ACCOMMODATION
£410
About this course
Generations of systemic abuse of our land and water mean that England is now one of the most nature depleted nations on Earth. The symptoms of disconnection are acute. As a society we are losing without even knowing what we are losing, or indeed why the loss harms us all. But we can relearn. Through acts of Wild Service we can remember the deep and shared responsibility of belonging.
This short course is grown out of a new landmark publication by the campaign group ‘Right to Roam’ Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You (eds Nick Hayes and Jon Moses) and lays out a vision for repairing nature. Featuring the contributions of five featured authors who have written about education, healing, belonging and community, Wild Service is more than a book. It is a philosophy, a call to action, a meditation, a celebration and an invitation.
This short course introduces award-winning writers, diverse creatives, career naturalists, and some of the most influential voices advocating for nature in Britain today, who come together to discuss and facilitate a new, grassroots ecology enacted when people are empowered to reconnect.
on this course you will
- Attend panel discussion with authors
- Experience four diverse practices connecting to nature in the form of creative workshops, walks, round table discussions and facilitated debates – including wild medicine, writing, drawing, book-making, rituals and wild altars
- Develop community empowering methods for exploring land-based ecological issues and change management
- Engage in author readings and debate topics raised in the book
typical schedule for short courses
- Check-in to the room is between 3-3.45pm on the day of arrival. Check-out is 11am on the day of departure, although if travelling by public transport, luggage can be left at the Welcome Centre until the course has completed.
- Teaching generally begins at 4pm on the first day and ends at 2pm Fridays or 4pm Sunday (whichever is the last day of the course).
- The daily timetable can start at 9.30am and end around 9.15pm, with free time available at set times throughout the day.
- For residential participants breakfast is included, followed by a morning gathering and community work groups on weekdays, which are open to all participants and the college community. Non-residential participants can pay extra if they wish to have breakfast on one or more of the days.
- Lunch for all participants is between 1-2pm and supper is 6.30-7.30pm (both meals are included in the residential and non-residential course fee).
If you have any questions about your course schedule please contact shortcourses@dartington.org
what to bring
- Comfortable and warm outdoor clothing including trainers and boots
- Waterproofs
- Midge spray
- Personal meds
TUTORS
Emma Linford
Emma Linford is a campaigner, expedition guide and educator whose advocacy intersects regenerative education, social activism and land justice. Her leadership is grounded in 20 years of facilitating transformative experiences for over 5,000 humans from diverse social backgrounds on multi-day journeys worldwide, from the UK National Parks to the Canadian Arctic.
Dal Kular
Dal Kular is a writer, facilitator and mentor of creative, therapeutic and nature-allied writing arts for healing, liberation and joy. Her poetry (un)interrupted tongues is published by Fly on The Wall Press. Dal has previously been shortlisted for Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize and Class Action Nature Writing Prize. Her current projects include an archival justice commission with Dig Where You Stand in Sheffield, Peak District’s Creative-in-Residence for the ‘Black Nature in Residence’ project’ and Peaks of Colour’s 2024 writer-in-residence.
Nicola Chester
Nicola Chester has been an activist for nature, particularly in our rural landscape, even before her involvement in the road protests of the 1990s. She writes columns for the RSPB and Countryfile Magazine and is a Guardian Country Diarist. Her memoir, On Gallows Down, won the Richard Jefferies Prize and was Highly Commended for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize, 2022.
Maria Fernandez Garcia
Maria Fernandez Garcia is an educator and founder of Healing Weeds, a space to learn about wild food and medicine. Maria has been an outdoors educator for over 5 years, and is a champion of using modern scientific research to support traditional uses of medicinal wild plants. Maria joined the campaign in early 2023 to support Right to Roam local groups as they reclaim their relationship to the land around them.
OUR LEARNING COMMUNITY
Our courses are part of the wider Learning programme at Dartington, and you will join a community of students on site studying at Schumacher College and Dartington Arts School as well as other short course participants, volunteers and visitors.
While you are here we invite you to take part in our learning community life by attending morning meetings, taking part in activities such as meal preparation and clearing, and evening social events. This is entirely voluntary, but participants tell us that taking part adds to their experience at Dartington.
accommodation
We recommend that if possible, you stay on-site during your course. All our courses are best experienced holistically: through studying, relaxing, eating and staying with other course participants, volunteers, staff and tutors.
When you book your course with accommodation this includes one of our hostel-style single rooms with shared facilities and easy access to your main learning space. They are the perfect base to rest your head, relax and recharge. You can find out more about the rooms here.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included throughout the duration of the course, each made with fresh, locally-sourced produce by our award-winning team.
Accommodation is available at a discounted rate for course attendees, and on a first come, first served basis only. Choose this option by selecting ‘Course Fee Plus Accommodation’ at checkout.
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optional: upgrade to a courtyard room
It is also possible, subject to availability, to upgrade your accommodation to a single or double en-suite bedroom in our beautiful and historic courtyard. Upgrade pricing is as follows:
For courses starting before 1/9/2023
- Single room with en-suite bathroom: additional £27.25 per night
- Double room with en-suite bathroom is an additional £43.60 per night
For courses starting on or after 1/9/2023
- Single room with en-suite bathroom: additional £31.07 per night
- Double room with en-suite bathroom is an additional £49.70 per night
If you would like to upgrade, please first book with residential option included, and then contact our Guest Services team on 01803 847150 or email guestservices@dartingtonhall.com to check availability. Our Guest Services department is open daily, 8am–8pm.
Should you decide to upgrade to our en-suite accommodation, please be aware that this is 20 min walk, or 3 min drive, to the Old Postern site, where some of our courses are held. There is car parking available near to all venues on the estate.
OPTIONAL: STAY ON OUR CAMPSITE
You may like to stay on our beautiful and relaxing campsite, amidst the stunning rolling hills and ancient woodlands of Dartington. Find out more about the campsite here.
Should you decide to stay on the campsite, please be aware that this is 10 min walk, to either Schumacher College or Dartington Hall, where our courses are held. There is car parking available near to all venues on the estate.
Book now
Begin your online booking below. You will receive an e-ticket for this event. You are welcome to email us at shortcourses@dartington.org or call us at 01803 847008 with any queries you have. Full Short Course T&Cs can be found here >
If you place a deposit, you will be contacted by us four weeks before the course start date to pay the outstanding balance. You will also be contacted with full details about the course before you arrive.
Please note that in most cases bookings for all our Short Courses close at midday on the Thursday before the course begins. This enables us to give you the best possible course experience and ensures all bookers receive the relevant course materials before they arrive.
