FSA Suffolk aims to provide support, friendship and
inspiration for all Forest School practitioners in Suffolk.

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Our Committee

Chair - Mell

Mell is currently The Green Light Trust's Forest School Delivery Manager and Tutor. She is also a Director of Kinda Education where she facilitates forest school sessions weekly at Kinda forest school. Kinda Education is a multi-generational, nature-based sociocratic community interest company.Mell has been facilitating Nature Connection work for over 25 years, working with all ages and abilities, facilitating through the theories and ethos of Forest School, Earth Education and deep nature connection. Mell started to work within this field after many years of environmental campaigning, believing that if people felt connected to the natural world, they would more readily take an active role in fostering the sustainability of the planet. Mell was a co-creator/director of a nature based democratic small school ‘Wild Meadows’ . Together with the parents and children they built a straw bale building as a classroom then developed the space and facilitated activities to learn together in a child-led and child-centred way. Mell's passion is nature-based , multi-generational, sociocratic education and she is passionate about creating spaces where we can all grow together into resilient, kind communities

Vice-Chair - Eloise

Eloise is currently a trainee teacher. She has been a nature facilitator for 13 years and was a Forest School tutor for the last 3. Endlessly in love with the wonderousness that nature offers us to marvel at everyday. Particularly fond of licking things outdoors, it's a great way to meet most things for the first time!

Humbled at all the amazing people from tiny to giant she has met in the woods over the years. Excited to be a part of Suffolk FSA, and to see what magic we can conjure up altogether.

Treasurer - Jo A

Joanne is a lover of nature, a wanderer of woods, and a wild swimmer.  She is particularly passionate about plants, and our many relationships with them.  She delights in discovering new things in nature and loves sharing those discoveries.
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Joanne started Nature Bugs outdoor toddler groups and Forest School many years ago when her children were little and there was very little provision about.  She is now a Wild Learning Officer with Suffolk Wildlife Trust at Bradfield Woods, connecting children, teens and adults to nature through her work. She also co-leads Forest School Training courses with Emma K.

Membership & Communications Officer - Emma K

Emma is a Wild Learning Officer with Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Over her 17 years with SWT, Emma has worked initially at Lackford Lakes near Bury St Edmunds and is now based Foxburrow Farm near Woodbridge running environmental education visits for schools, families, home educated children, Young Wardens and Wild Tots. Emma completed her Forest School training with Bridgewater college in 2006 and since then has worked with several groups over the years from nurseries and primaries to special schools and PRU groups. She also co-leads the Trust’s accredited Forest School training courses.
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Emma has lived all her life in Suffolk, bar the 3 years she spent studying Ecology at Lancaster University, and now lives just outside Framlingham with her husband Stu, daughter Daisy and two loony springer spaniels. Just like Emma’s own childhood, Daisy is a total wild child and as a family they love spending time outdoors, walking, playing in the woods, jumping in puddles, ‘building’ swings, camping and visiting our beautiful windswept coast. Emma has always found that nature grounds her, calms her, excites and inspires her and loves seeing that passion and connection grow within Daisy and others. 

Events & Social Media -
​Steph 

Steph Holland completed her Forest School Practitioner training with Huathe in 2018 and is the founder and director of West Suffolk Hive CIC. She lives in Bury St Edmunds with her husband, Neil and daughter, Amelia, who they are home-educating. They spend most of their time together outdoors, and much of Amelia's education takes place in forests. They offer an incredible environment for holistic learning, muscle development, teamwork and a deeper understanding of the natural world around us.

As well as spending time in nature and with Amelia, Steph is also a music teacher. She has led baby and toddler music classes and teaches piano, violin and singing at home and in a local school. Her love of music and her 
teaching experience compliments her forest school practice. She has recently founded West Suffolk Hive CIC, which is an eco community centre near Bury St Edmunds. 

Minutes Secretary -
​Emma H

​Emma is mum to two young boys, living in wonky Lavenham, Suffolk. At the Green Light Trust she works with children that find classroom learning challenging, and occasionally with other marginalised groups. Emma’s other baby is Campfire Wild – Forest School and Outdoor Activities, where she delivers weekly parent and pre-schooler groups and Forest School to the local school, when budgets allow. Emma is passionate about enabling all children (and adults!) access to the great outdoors to enjoy the magic of nature.
A campfire foodie – her favourites are pheasant burgers and festive mincemeat bannock bread. She loves a bit of a forage and enjoys learning about new and fascinating flora.
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Her Forest School name is Emma Owl and she loves getting on the ground to take a closer look at teeny weeny things. Emma loves meeting new people and is counting down the days until we can see, hug and play with her friends and family again in real life!

Fundraising - Charlotte

Charlotte Atkinson is an experienced Forest School Leader and an FSA endorsed trainer. She lives and works at ‘Charlotte’s Wood’ in Wilby where she runs weekly parent and toddler Forest School sessions, holiday clubs, woodland experience days and training.

Charlotte’s Wood is a 2.5 acre mixed woodland with a log cabin that is used for training and overnight accommodation. Charlotte also manages two holiday lodges that are situated on the edge of the woodland. She moved to Suffolk in 2016 from Liverpool where she worked for 6 years as a headteacher following a long career in primary education.

​Charlotte is passionate about the positive impact on health and well-being of spending time in nature, loves the practical nature of her job and working with children. Charlotte also works as a primary school consultant and in her spare time she teaches people how to Nordic Walk! ​

Committee Member - Elizabeth

​Elizabeth Swift grew up on the beaches and mud flats of Suffolk – with broad open skies and grey seas.  She is a Forest School leader and trainer, a lecturer and an early years consultant.  She divides her working time between training Forest School leaders, lecturing on early years degree courses and singing with people outdoors.    In 2011, she set up huathe with Carol Middleton to help reconnect adults and children to nature, to each other and to themselves. 
 
Huathe draws on first hand international teaching in nature connection combined with a deep understanding of child development and group dynamics.  Elizabeth enjoys the local (working outdoors children under 5 and their carers); the national (delivering training and CPD across East Anglia and the South East); and the international (speaking at conferences and training Forest School leaders across in Ireland, China and the US.
 
She is inspired equally by a love of the outdoors, the child led parenting ethos of land connected, indigenous cultures, the teaching of Jon Young, and the writing of Jay Griffiths.  Her main interests are in children’s holistic development through play and the positive effects of nature connection.  Her outdoor singing groups, FireChoir, are about people connecting to nature, to each other and to themselves.  

Committee Member - Jo L

Jo Ling is an experienced forest school practitioner and past trainer for Green Light Trust. She is an Early Years educator of many years.  Her favourite tree is the Hornbeam, favourite bird the Cormorant (with Jackdaw a close second) and favourite flower the Wild red Poppy. 
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She currently runs ‘Time To Play’ family forest schools which meet at a number of locations in Suffolk and Essex. Along with her husband she also manages PerfectRucksack – a resource website for parents and carers looking for ideas for raising nature connected children.