Calm in the Wild

08/12/2025

One thing that has helped me this week:

Spending time in the woodland at Woodville with the community group, finding winter treasures and exploring them with fresh senses.

The best regulation comes from the simplest things -

*Getting outside
*Noticing small things
*Being with people who get it

06/12/2025

I mean, I don’t need an excuse to eat mince pies 🥧 but if I did, this would be it!

05/12/2025

💚

Everyday creativity at Woodville😎

With Pippa Chapman 'Transition Town Forest Gardens' and Calm in the Wild

04/12/2025

Tonight brings us the Cold Moon - the final full moon and last supermoon of 2025, rising at 2:48pm, not that long before the sun sets.

To be honest, it’s not actually very cold here in Yorkshire at the moment. The temperature is about 7°C and it’s damp, cloudy, and decidedly grey. Not exactly the crisp, frosty December we’d imagine when we hear “Cold Moon.” But the name isn’t really about the weather on the day - it marks the turning of the season, and gives us the chance to acknowledge that we’re in the deep of the darker months now.

Meteorological winter started on Monday (1st December), and the solstice, marking astronomical winter, is on the 21st. We’re in that liminal time, when the garden sleeps deeply and long dark evenings have settled in.

Before electric lighting, the full moon must have been really noticeable, lighting the way for anyone out after sunset. There’s something reassuring about that, even now.

If the clouds part on Thursday evening, look northeast - the Cold Moon will form a triangle with the Pleiades star cluster and the bright star Aldebaran. Jupiter will be nearby too, and you might spot Orion rising.

But honestly? Even if Yorkshire’s typical cloud cover means we don’t see much at all, the invitation remains the same: rest isn’t lazy, it’s seasonal. Winter is here, whether it’s cold yet or not.

How are you finding the darker days? 🌙

03/12/2025

🌿 January Calm at Woodville

As the new year begins, we’ll be gathering in Woodville’s warm, cosy indoor spaces - with a few moments outdoors each time, whatever the weather.

Free, nature-based wellbeing sessions for parents, carers and neurodivergent adults start again from 12th January, every Monday & Wednesday, 10–12.

Booking opens later this week ✨
(If you’d like a reminder, comment “me” and I’ll send you the link when it’s live.)

These sessions are made possible by The National Lottery Community Fund. I’m so grateful for their support.

01/12/2025

Winter micro-menu 🌿

For a lot of us, going outside in winter sometimes feels just too much.

So here’s a menu of 5-15 minute options, depending on how you’re feeling.

No pressure. No expectation of perfection. Just little moments to help regulate your nervous system.

Five minutes counts. Standing on your doorstep counts. Wrapped in a blanket absolutely counts (in fact, it’s often my go-to)

What’s your quick winter outdoor reset moment?

28/11/2025

This week in our community sessions, as we painted advent candles - some marked for all 24 days, others for the 21 days leading up to the solstice - a conversation unfolded.

We talked about how tricky it can be to burn a candle every day when life is full of distractions.

When children want to touch the flame.

When our attention is pulled in a dozen directions.

When we forget it’s burning… and suddenly three days’ worth has melted away.

So we wondered: what if the candle wasn’t a task at all?
What if, this December, it became a small gift to ourselves instead?

A few minutes each day, just long enough for the candle to burn down to the next number, to sit, breathe, and watch the flame.

No pressure. No need to be perfect, or have a completely empty brain.

Just a moment to pause. A moment of warmth in the darker season.

Maybe this could be a simple way to welcome winter, whether you’re marking Advent, the solstice, or simply the turning of the year.

Will you be lighting a candle with us this December?

🕯️✨🌲

(Our free wellbeing sessions run at Woodville in Keighley , and are fully funded by The National Lottery Community Fund - for which we are insanely grateful )

26/11/2025

Here’s a little sneak peek at next week’s Calm in the Wild community sessions ✨

We’ll be creating felted wool balls - a gentle, calming, sensory craft that’s perfect for slowing down at this time of year.

We’ll still be popping outside for a short nature-connection moment too (weather permitting!) 🌿

These sessions are:
✔️ Free
✔️ Held at Woodville Community in Keighley
✔️ Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund
✔️ Designed for parents & carers, neurodivergent adults, and anyone needing a pocket of calm in winter.

📍 Woodville Forest Garden, Keighley
🕙 Mondays & Wednesdays, 10–12
🎟️ Spaces still available — book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/calm-in-the-wild-free-nature-based-wellbeing-sessions-keighley-tickets-1488787245729?

Come as you are. No pressure, no expectations, just breathing space, gentle company, and something lovely to make with your hands. ✨

24/11/2025

It’s beginning to look a lot like …… shhhhh, don’t even say it!

Here at our community, nature based wellbeing sessions at Woodville in , we’re starting to lean into the cold winter months.

Sessions are now based in cosy inside spaces, and have a real ‘Hygge’ feel to them, whilst taking as many opportunities as we can to dip outside to use nature to ground ourselves:

❄️to feel the sun, wind, rain or snow on our faces,
🍁to look at the way things are changing with the season,
🔥to gather around the campfire with snacks and chat

We’re also starting to use Yule as a bit of an inspiration for nature-based crafting, beginning this week with painting candles to light every day through December, all the way up to the solstice on the 21st, or Christmas on the 25th, whichever feels right.

What are you doing to let your body lean into the coming winter?

Come and join us - booking link in comments

22/11/2025

21/11/2025

January Challenge: Get Outside with 64 Million Artists 🌿

Recently, I shared that I’d be weaving some of the 64 Million Artists January Challenge prompts into my work - and I’ve been thinking about how to do this in a way that feels true to Calm in the Wild.

So here’s my plan: all through January, I’ll be sharing nature-based responses to the “Courageous Change” prompts - but in my own way, and in my own time. Not daily (because let’s face it that’s probably not sustainable or realistic!), but regularly enough to stay connected to the creative process.

I’ll be encouraging my woodland wellbeing groups at Woodville to engage with the prompts too - exploring what courageous change means for us, finding joy and connection outdoors even in the coldest month, and using creativity as a tool for wellbeing.

If you’d like to join in (either with me or in your own way), you can sign up here: https://64millionartists.com/thejanuarychallenge/

Remember: there’s no “right” way to do this. Take what feels right, leave what doesn’t, and make it work for you.

Let’s use nature to find some courageous change together in January 🌿✨

The January Challenge is a way to explore your unique creativity in one month. 31 creative prompts in 31 days. Join thousands of people opening a creative prompt daily throughout January and see where it leads you!

19/11/2025

Moving deeper into November 🍂

The trees have shed their leaves, the storms have begun to whip through, and the rain that we were so desperate for in Summer now feels relentless. It’s the season of hunkering down, of hygge, of firelight and cosy blankets.

But here’s something I’ve learned over the years: even when it’s grim outside, those few minutes of fresh air - feeling the wind, noticing the light, breathing in the cold, even feeling the rain - can reset your whole nervous system.

And when the sun does break through (even if it’s just for five minutes), getting outside to feel it on your face is worth it. Your body and mind will thank you.

But what about when you genuinely can’t get out?

Nature connection doesn’t have to mean being outdoors. You can:

🌿 Open a window and listen to the sounds outside
🌿 Bring natural materials inside - pine cones, twigs, autumn leaves
🌿 Watch the trees from your window - notice how they move in the wind
🌿 Burn a nature-inspired candle (pine & sage is my current favourite)
🌿 Drink herbal tea (or hot chocolate) slowly and mindfully
🌿 Look at photos of outdoor spaces that feel calming to you

The important thing isn’t perfection. It’s noticing. It’s pausing. It’s giving yourself those tiny moments of connection, even when you feel like there just isn’t time.

November is hard. Be gentle with yourself. Find your moments where you can.

🍂 What’s your favourite way to connect with nature when you can’t get outside?