Grange Project

17/11/2025

New Special Episode of the Wilder Podcast: Understanding the Monmouth Floods 🌧️

Over the past week, our local communities across Monmouthshire have faced some of the worst flooding ever recorded.

In this episode, Tom Constable speaks with flood-management expert Tom Johnstone (we are Nature Based CIC) to explore:

🔹 What actually caused the flooding
🔹 Whether this event is linked to climate change
🔹 Why dredging isn’t the "silver bullet" it’s often claimed to be
🔹 How land use, soil health and water management shape flood risk
🔹 The role nature-based solutions could play in protecting our towns and villages
🔹 What needs to change at policy level

🎧 Listen to here:

Website: https://www.grangeproject.co.uk/wilder-podcast/ep-047-monmouth-floods-discussion
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ijURNjOduA9TBuUblQsMF?si=b6a285cd85154fab

If you work in land management, policy, farming, climate resilience, or simply live locally, I think this one will be valuable.

As always, thoughts and reflections welcome.

Wilder Podcast · Episode

06/11/2025

Ep 46 "Healing in the Wild"

In this episode, we speak with Jo Roberts, CEO of the Wilderness Foundation UK; a woman whose life and work have been shaped by wild places.

We explore how wilderness heals, teaches, and reconnects us, and why access to nature might just be one of the most important public health rights of our time.

🎧 Listen now on your favourite podcast platform or via:

Website: grangeproject.co.uk/podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mE3bqgskOfzH3hiKMrhgY?si=b5e8b8ca05a646f6

Wilder Podcast · Episode

08/10/2025

🎙️New Ep: Community Land Stewardship with Chris Blake

We explore how communities can steward land through collaboration, long-term vision and trust between local people and public bodies.

We also share Grange Project updates (bumper apple harvest, the market garden & "cathedral-scale" polytunnel!), two recent courses, and announce Wilder Away Days - our nature-based corporate retreats.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4KGW7fae94HRof4XHv89A0?si=e2e96ab6932c407f
Website: https://www.grangeproject.co.uk/wilder-podcast/ep-045-community-land-stewardship-with-chris-blake

Key takeaways:

Community land stewardship ≠ one model. Freehold, long leasehold, management agreements and co-production each offer different ways for local values to shape land.

Co-production works when power is shared. Start with a blank page, bring evidence-givers (forestry, ecology, education), and let a mixed panel turn evidence into values & principles - not expert-written plans.

Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) can beat clear-fell on 100-year horizons: better soils, flood risk, vistas - and local, steady jobs from ongoing thinning rather than boom-and-bust harvesting.

Public bodies win too. Communities unlock grants, volunteers and entrepreneurial energy that agencies often lack - delivering outcomes already in policy (biodiversity, access, carbon).

Trust is the glue. A year-long, facilitated process built mutual respect between Natural Resources Wales managers and residents; FSC certification also helps keep plans on track.

Practical first steps. If transfer isn’t feasible, explore long leases or co-produced forest/resource plans; talk to national support orgs early (see "Resources").

Wilder Podcast · Episode

24/09/2025

Two years in the making, we’re proud to share that Wilder Away Days is now live!

Wilder Away Days is our new offer for teams who want to step away from screens, targets, and meeting rooms, and spend time in 80 acres of wild meadow, woodland, and streambank here at the Grange Project.

Instead of hotel conference rooms, we use nature, project-grown food, and expert facilitation to help teams slow down, reconnect, and find new energy.

We’ve created four retreat formats, each designed around a different challenge:

Off the Path – Leadership strategy & vision
Under the Same Sky – Bonding for remote teams
How We Work Together – Resetting team communication
The Breathing Space – Wellbeing & restoration

Article content
No awkward icebreakers, no trust falls (we promise!). Just research-backed, thoughtful, and nature-centred experiences that leave teams with clarity, connection, and focus.

Take a look at our new website: wilderawaydays.co.uk

11/09/2025

First scything course at the ❤️

11/09/2025

We’ve just released Episode 44 - and it’s another awesome one. We sit down with Gaz Oakley, chef-turned-homesteader, to talk about growing your own food, reconnecting with nature, and what it really means to live in tune with your values.

🎙 Listen now: https://www.grangeproject.co.uk/wilder-podcast/ep-044-the-quiet-revolution-of-growingnbspyournbspown-with-gaz-oakley

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ABmhHR5kEMzGgeg9RvGwR?si=be0c329dabcb4481

Let us know what you think!

Wilder Podcast · Episode

01/09/2025

Come join us for our first community day from the Grange Hub! Saturday 13th September for a range of activities: scything, green hay distribution, apple pressing and helping to erect the polytunnel for the Market Garden. All are welcome. Includes abundant food and an optional tour of the site. Please sign-up at www.grangeproject.co.uk/volunteers-day - we look forward to welcoming you.

28/08/2025

Ep 43 of the is live!

Title: From Loss to Life - Ben Goldsmith & Natural Capital

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6RwdnSzUx8naeEayIGHc8o?si=3ced30a003c143e3

Website: https://www.grangeproject.co.uk/wilder-podcast/ep-043-from-loss-to-life-ben-goldsmith-amp-natural-capital

In this episode we sit down with the positive force for nature, Ben Goldsmith, financier, conservationist, and passionate rewilding advocate.

Ben shares how the tragic loss of his daughter, Iris, became the catalyst for rewilding his Somerset farm, transforming grief into a living love letter to her wild spirit.

We also explore his belief in the healing power of nature, both for individuals and for landscapes, and why reconnecting young people with the natural world is one of the greatest challenges of our time.

From there, we broaden the lens to global rewilding projects and the emerging role of nature credits, from carbon and biodiversity credits to water quality markets, in funding large-scale ecological recovery.

We sit down with Ben Goldsmith, financier, conservationist, and passionate rewilding advocate, to explore the deeply personal and global dimensions of nature restoration. Ben shares how the tragic loss of his daughter, Iris, became the catalyst for rewilding his Somerset farm, transforming grief i

31/07/2025

Our climate is changing, and how we grow in our gardens needs to reflect this.

At the Grange Project we're delighted to be welcoming Rachel Hammond from Edge Landscaping for a day on 'Climate Resilient Gardening'. Focused on practical applications - Rachel will cover a range of topics including soil health, composting and how to respond to pests, diseases and drought, without relying on chemicals. Whether you're a regular grower or just starting out, Rachel's accessible teaching style will ensure you leave with new understanding and growing techniques.

Taking place between 9:30-3:30pm on Saturday 20th of September, all refreshments included (with as much as possible from our market garden!). Cost is £75 for the day, but please contact us if the price is a barrier to your attendance. Cabins are still free that weekend - so combine with a stay away with our community discount code of COMMUNITY10.

Please book your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-resilient-gardening-tickets-1538740326739?aff=oddtdtcreator

29/07/2025

Grange Project Newsletter: Update #17: Milestones, Meaning & Memories 🙌

View here: https://mailchi.mp/3a46dac5f130/update-17-courses-ceilidhs-the-next-chapter

28/07/2025

Grange Project Event Updates:

Scything Course – Thursday 11th September
Join us for a day course led by Nicole from The Joy of Scything! With outstanding green credentials and health benefits for both body and mind, the scythe is truly a tool of our times. With only 2 places remaining on this intimate course, message me directly to book on. £100 to include all refreshments for the day (£20 additional to hire a sharpened scythe, or we can send you details of where you can buy your own - cheaper than a mower!!)

Short Notice: Stay & Grow
Fancy a short stay in one of our off-grid cabins? We’re offering a work-exchange opportunity in the market garden over the summer (with space over the next week). For daily help with the harvest (no prior knowledge required), you're welcome to enjoy the beauty of wilder nature, with all the benefits of connectivity at the Grange Hub. Message me for further details.

Save the Date
Our next Community Day is coming up on Saturday 13th September. More info soon!

23/07/2025

New Podcast Ep: Restorative Practices for a Wilder World 🎙️

In this ep we explore two significant restorative practices: Natural Flood Management (NFM) and Nature Guardianship. Tom Johnstone MSc APIOL from we are Nature Based CIC explains how NFM utilises natural processes to manage water flow, contrasting it with traditional gray infrastructure. The conversation also explores Nature Guardianship, a concept that integrates the voice of nature into organisational decision-making processes. The episode highlights the need for a mindset shift in water management and the potential for these practices to create our 'wilder world'.

Listen on:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LucuiaQsWomUbmfEwZNY2?si=29a9087e0c004c15

Website: https://www.grangeproject.co.uk/wilder-podcast/ep-042-restorative-practices-for-a-wildernbspworld

Chloe and Tom discuss the recent opening of the Grange Hub and explore two significant restorative practices: Natural Flood Management (NFM) and Nature Guardianship. Tom Johnston from We Are Nature Based CIC explains how NFM utilis es natural processes to manage water flow, contrasting