In this episode, I was really privileged to amplify the voices of Em and Clare, two members of a group that have been working tirelessly to try and protect our right to wild camp on Dartmoor and to promote the Right to Roam Act. You may have seen in the news the recent case between a local landowner and Dartmoor National Park regarding wild camping and in this episode, we discuss what’s happened so far, why equal access to the outdoors is so important, the absolute joy that was the gathering on Dartmoor on the 21st January, and what is next for the movement. If you agree with what we’ve said, please do head over to www.righttoroam.org.uk to contact your MP and keep up to date with this particular case on instagram by following @thestarsareours.uk and @right.2roam

I was delighted to be joined once again by our well-being officers, Rowan Pring and Pete Shepherd, for a conversation that left me feeling encouraged and sustained for the dark wet evening I went out into. The overarching theme of our discussion was self care and being kind to yourselves as we navigate a time of year which many people find challenging. They offered some practical tips and advice at how to protect your mental health as well as plenty of reassurance about feeling a bit slower at this time of year. A gorgeously gentle and warm listen that we’re going to recommend to everyone this month!

In this episode, I was joined by Tash Furmidge and Tim Dexter from Asthma and Lung UK to talk about air pollution, it’s links to climate change and their Clean Air Champions scheme. We discussed what air pollution is, the dangers it causes, and what can be done to lessen the impact of it. For anyone interested in finding out more about anything we spoke about, please head over to their website at www.asthmaandlung.org.uk

In this episode, we were delighted to be joined by two gents from the Moorland Guides cooperative, Richard Gooding and Phil Watson. They joined me to talk about how they became mountain leaders, their favourite groups to take on the moors, accessibility and mental health benefits, and why Dartmoor is such a special place for them. To find out more about what the Moorland Guides offer you can visit www.moorlandguides.co.uk

It was a pleasure to be back in the cabin at Exmouth again to join Head of Forest Schools at The Outdoors Group and master crafter, Nick Murphy, to talk all things spoons. He told us about how he came to carving spoons, his relationship with crafting and his mental health, the concept of slojd and how the spooning community influenced all of this. It was a warm, insightful and cheering chat and I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did recording it. You can check out Nick’s spoons on instagram at @murphys_spoon.

In this episode, I was joined by Sami Grover, author of ‘We’re All Climate Hypocrites Now’ and our very own chartered environmentalist, Pete Morgan. We spent the afternoon discussing why the fossil fuel industry loves to peddle the myth that individuals need to be doing the work to fix the climate crisis, how guilt isn’t particularly helpful, embracing imperfection, and looking at stories of hope for a better future. This conversation was empowering and uplifting for me and I hope it will serve the same purpose for those of you that listen to it as well. Don’t forget to check out Sami’s book if you’d like to find out more!

In this episode I was joined by Leone Ellis and Daisy Thomas to talk about play therapy, and in particular, the benefits of taking it outside. We discussed what play therapy is, who it’s for, how it works and it’s place within the educational and social systems in the UK. We chatted about the Association of Outdoor Play Therapists, the importance of happiness over maths and how, as therapists, they never stop learning. Another fantastic conversation and if you’d like to find out more about what we spoke about, why not pop over to our YouTube channel (The Outdoors Group) to watch Leone’s talk where she goes into even more detail about what she does and why.

In this episode, I was thrilled to be joined by Ian from Our Spectrum Adventures. Ian and his 8 year old daughter, Eve, are currently walking the length of Britain to raise money for the National Autistic Society and awareness around autism. They kindly spared us some time on a rest day from walking to tell us about our adventures and we had a great chat talking about how their walk is going, the logistics and highlights, and what’s driving them to keep going. As this is released, they’ve just reached the South West Coast Path for the final stretch of their epic adventure. Please go and find them on social media under ‘Our Spectrum Adventures’ to follow their journey, give them encouragement, and if you can…donate a few pounds!

What a delight this episode was to make! We were very happy to be joined by Moose Mutlow, an experienced educator, swift water instructor, lead family liaison officer for Yosemite Search and Rescue and life long adventurer. We discussed a whole host of topics from barriers to outdoor education in the US, the Environmental Science Centre he’s overseeing the construction of, national parks and the land rights movement, working in communities rather than competition and how to encourage inclusive access for all to outdoor pursuits. I was delighted to have two co hosts in the form of Shev Pring and Tom Lowday for this episode and we all thoroughly enjoyed being part of this conversation. We hope you enjoy listening to it just as much!

In this episode, I sat down with two members of staff from The Outdoors School to discuss the why, what and how of project based learning. We discussed what it can look like in practice, talked about real life projects they’ve recently facilitated and shared some top tips for those listening. We also touched on the concept of self directed learning and the importance of nurturing life long learners with a thirst for acquiring new knowledge and skills. This is a fantastic episode for anyone working in education, whether you’re a teacher, home educating parent or working in education within another capacity.