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Author Topic: Band Of Merry Men Seeks Forest  (Read 832 times)

Son Of Andrew

  • Joined Oct 2020
Band Of Merry Men Seeks Forest
« on: November 27, 2020, 12:42:31 pm »
Hi folks,

I’m Matt. I do not own a smallholding yet but aspire to do so in future, and have a keen interest in all things related to self-reliance and smallholding. I’m a painter and decorator by trade but my real love is bushcraft and woodlore. I love the outdoors, even in inclement weather. I’ve started a group endeavour in which, I hope, some of you might be interested.

Last year I started a ‘close-community’ project, which I hope will culminate in a nationwide network of people who’ll meet locally in order to skill-share, barter, train, and socialise together, and we seek to empower people to get out into nature and exercise, and learn. We’re a family-centric venture and we want to train seriously yet keep things fun too. We have a number of dedicated members, and we’re growing in number.  We’re apolitical, and seek to teach valuable life-skills, and promote self-reliance.

We'd like to hear from people of all backgrounds in order to pool our expertise, and manpower. Among our group, although small in number, we’ve already covered some very important bases, including Law, First Aid/Therapy, Communications, Construction/Renovation, Self-Defense, and more besides. Many of our members have multiple skill-sets.

We held a few meetings this year, and we’re very much about real-world action. We seek to create community, and I feel there’s never been a better time. Trying to find an appropriate venue for our activities has been really problematic this year though, and I hope that someone reading this message would be kind and/or interested enough to help.

I’d like the use of a small piece of your land, please, for the purposes of a small monthly group meeting. Perhaps you have a small field or a patch of woodland that you’d be willing to rent or loan? I'm searching specifically for a central location, from the Midlands, to Yorkshire, or perhaps further North. Remuneration can be arranged, but for now, while our numbers are small, it’s only possible on a modest scale. I’d take full responsibility for the group as a whole and you’d only have to deal with me personally. We’d be self-contained and would require very few amenities. I guarantee that your land would be left just as we found it, if not better. Ideally you’d like to join our group, and the activities.

I’d also like to offer my services. I can paint and decorate to a high standard but I’d rather do things related to smallholding. I hasten to add that I have no experience. However, I’m fairly handy with tools (and have plenty of my own), have some experience working on vehicles, laid a few hedges, some groundwork, that sort of thing. I’m physically fit. I’d be prepared to dig ditches, muck out stables, wrangle animals, put up fences, build stone-, or wattle and daub walls etc. I’ll be there when you need me, with a smile on my face, even in the worst weather. Whatever I can do to help you to help the project (and the self-reliant family), then I’ll do it. I’m looking to the future and I want to forge strong alliances with good people.

Apologies if this seems somewhat unorthodox but I'm trying everything I can to find an appropriate venue for next year. So, if you think you might be interested to join our self-reliant family network to learn, socialise, train, and meet other friendly, pro-active people then we'd like to hear from you. Our members are encouraged to play to their strengths. Everyone is valuable. If your speciality is solar power, or knitting jumpers, that’s awesome. This is the nature of the project. In future, I also aim to apply for land for a community allotment project and if anyone has any experience of such then I’d really appreciate your advice.

If you find community an important, yet sadly missing, part of modern life then you have friends waiting to meet you.

I’ll finish by saying that I’m also here to learn, thanks in advance, and I look forward to making your acquaintance.

 :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree:  :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree: :tree:

Cheers,
Matt.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Band Of Merry Men Seeks Forest
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2020, 02:45:16 pm »
I would suggest that, as well as posting here, you have a look at the Diggers & Dreamers' Facebook group and see if you think it worth a post on there.  (Be warned, as well as hopefully some offers of land to use, you may also find yourself overwhelmed with responses from folks wanting to participate... ;)

I'm in Cornwall, living on a small farm owned and operated by a cohousing community.  There are other similar ventures in existence and setting up across Cornwall, and increasingly Devon and elsewhere. 

We have hosted groups such as yours on our campsite in summer, but I think we are out of your preferred range.  (And indeed, our public transport links are usable, but you need to be dedicated...  :-[)   There are other places offering courses or accommodation or both across the South West of England, some of them better connected (nearer to mainline stations.)  But again, not your preferred locations.

Hopefully you might get an offer or two from other similar groups in your preferred locations; there are certainly similar ventures (cohousing with some level of self-sufficiency) already established and springing up right across the country.

I don't know whether what you are doing might sit well alongside LiLi, who are based at Redfield Community in Bucks.  Another such community who operate as a venue and might be able to fit your activities in is at Braziers Park in Oxfordshire.  Maybe these are still a little bit southerly for you.  You might find one in a better location for you among the WWOOF hosts; not all communities are WWOOF hosts (we are not), but a great many are.  And some other (non-community) WWOOF hosts might be able to offer you a site, might be worth an ad in WWOOF UK News.

I am also aware of forest camping groups who hire woodlands to do month-long family outdoor holidays.  One I know of started as a breast-feeding peer support group and has carried on holidaying together, and is now welcoming grandchildren of the original members into the fray!  Their outdoor living and foraging skills are awesome :).  And there are homeschooling and unschooling groups which do similar.  (Albeit some use Center Parcs!)  Anyway, the point was that some woodlands / outdoor areas are already hired out for group activities, and it might be that you could slot into a vacant time slot. 

Best of luck, sounds like an awesome venture :)
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Steph Hen

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Angus Scotland.
Re: Band Of Merry Men Seeks Forest
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2020, 04:57:24 pm »
Wish you were in Angus and all the best finding somewhere  :)

 

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