My name is Victoria Mew and I’ve lived twenty-eight summers. I grew up in south west London. My childhood was pretty mainstream. When I was twelve my mother took my siblings and I on a Trackways family survival camp. This was a significant experience in my young life – it changed my relationship to the world. It was the first time ever that I’d slept out next to a fire, that I’d gathered enough long grass to create the roof of our lean-to shelter, the first time I saw a tiny ember being created by rubbing sticks together. I was in touch with what was essential to life. I was hooked.

Throughout my teens I continued to connect to nature through these ancient skills and this lineage both with Trackways here in the UK and with Coyote Trails, Tom Brown Junior’s Tracker School and eventually Wilderness Awareness School in the USA. These experiences felt anchoring and incredibly empowering during my otherwise somewhat turbulent adolescence. Whilst my peers were debating what make-up to wear and how to get a hold of alcohol, I felt I was in on the secret of life and why I was here on the Earth and I felt incredibly grateful for it.

After school I spent a year at the Wilderness Awareness School in Washington State where I deepened my connection to nature, gained an immense amount of self confidence and felt valued as part of the learning community there. This nine month programme culminated in a weeklong survival quest in the Cascades – an experience I’ll never forget.

It was a shock to my system to transition back to the UK and find myself starting university at UCL in central London. Instead of waking up to birdsong, I was awoken by sirens flying past at all hours of the night. I spent my study time here delving into diverse subjects and my third year focussed on the question of how separation from nature affects childhood development. The papers I read when researching this for my dissertation confirmed everything I’d felt up to this point. Connecting to nature has nothing but enriching and positive effects, psychologically, physiologically and socially. It affects all aspects of our development and wellbeing. I’d bet if everyone in Britain spent just thirty minutes of quality time each day outside we’d drastically reduce the financial crisis facing the NHS!

Vicky demonstrating the bow drill at this year’s Community Crafts Camp

Following university I did some exploring and adventuring in the wilder parts of Britain until an old friend called Phil Greenwood invited me to become part of a monthly programme for teenagers: the Earth Steward Apprenticeship. The way Phil described the programme was exactly what I would have wanted in my teenage years and I gratefully accepted his invitation, settled in Sussex, became part of the teaching team and have been involved ever since.

Through my work with Phil on the ESA programme I got involved with Sacred Earth in the early days as a Director when Sacred Earth Community Interest Company was formed in 2011. It was simple for me, everything in the vision was aligned with what I wanted to see more of in the world: the planting of a community orchard, getting more people in touch with growing food, supporting local food resilience, caretaking the land with the whole ecosystem in mind, and of course the opportunity for nature connection for people of all ages.

We have of course faced challenges along our way with what we are co-creating at Sacred Earth, but the original vision in essence has not changed, it has only been enriched by the joining of other like-minded individuals and the commitment of all who have been involved thus far. Through our community share offer we are inviting new energy into the project and investment in certain aspects and this feels exciting.

Some of things created at this year’s Community Crafts Camp

For me, other than my involvement with ESA, I find myself busy with other nature connection programmes at various sites with a variety of groups including schools, home education, holiday camps, adults and monthly woodland mentoring. I’m constantly learning and growing myself as well as facilitating learning experiences for others. This past summer I ran a Community Craft Camp that was one of the most rich and enjoyable events I’ve been inspired to run to date. I love what I do and I feel it is of particular value at this time of disconnection.

In gratitude to Phil for inviting me into his vision and into this opportunity and to all the many people and their wonderful hands that have helped clear the rubbish off the land, pull ragwort, plant trees, create willow beds, dig potatoes, produce bio-char, sat still in the woods and listened to the birds and found beauty in nature.