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Would you like a tree with your name on it? Or a copy of the first Her Land recipe book? Then read on to find out how you can support our crowdfunder, recently launched to raise money so we can expand our work with teenage girls and create a space for mums with young children at the site. Please do give if you can - there are some great rewards available and if we reach £1,000 by 31 July we will be entered in to a competition to win a further £10,000!
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Our first fundraiser has had great success so far - thank you so much to all of you who have supported it. We are already almost 25% towards our target!
Please do support us if you can.
Find out more and donate here.
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Teenage Sessions
We’ve enjoyed some beautiful sunny evenings at Her Land recently with groups of teenage girls from Thame Guides. These sessions have been really popular and the girls have given us fantastic feedback to help shape a Teenage Healing Garden for the site. Activities have included exploring the site, outdoor cooking, and some of the girls helped us to create a video for our Crowdfunding campaign.
Thank you to Community Action Oxfordshire for funding the activities.
There are opportunities for teenage girls to attend sessions over the summer - more details are in the Thriving in Nature section below.
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Planting update
Our volunteers have been working hard in the heat, completing the mulching and weeding of the remaining rows in our syntropic agroforestry field.
We also successfully brewed our first pot of mint tea, made from leaves harvested onsite!
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Follow us on YouTube
Explore the site and find out more about the project by taking a look at our new You Tube channel, where we'll be posting regular updates.
Follow Her Land here.
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Get involved...
Thriving in Nature
Throughout July and August, we are adding Sunday volunteering sessions every week, 2pm-4pm. All are welcome.
Running parallel to this, and tying in with our work to create a Teenage Healing Garden, we're inviting women to bring along their teenage daughters/granddaughters (ages 11-18) to get involved. Adults will need to remain on site but don't have to take part - we can find you a lovely quiet spot to relax!
Tuesday sessions will continue to run, each week 9.30-11.30am.
All sessions are subject to volunteers being available to run them so please do register your interest and join our WhatsApp community to stay up to date, or email Becky to check.
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Lime Pointing Training
We are hosting another traditional lime pointing training session at Her Land on 2 August with expert brickwork restorer Lynn Mathias. This is to help repair and conserve the early-eighteenth century walled garden at the site whilst also giving women and girls heritage building skills.
If you are interested in attending, let Clare know here. The cost for the session is £50 and there are only 4 spaces left so be quick if you are interested!
If you would like to know more about building-related activities at Her Land you can also join the Building WhatsApp group here.
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Plant of the month...
Pyramidal Orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis)
One of our eagle-eyed volunteers spotted these beauties on the track towards the old barn - a bright pinky-purple, densely packed pyramid of flowers atop a green stem. This orchid is known to play an important role in supporting a range of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and moths, and also has a symbiotic relationship with a particular species of fungus, which helps it to absorb nutrients from the soil.
Despite their importance in the ecosystem, Pyramidal Orchids are under threat due to habitat loss and are classified as a species of conservation concern and protected under national and international legislation.
Did you know? In ancient Greece, the orchid was associated with the god of wine, Dionysus, and was believed to have magical properties.
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Book of the month...
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest, by Suzanne Simard
"From the world's leading forest ecologist who forever changed how people view trees and their connections to one another and to other living things in the forest—a moving, deeply personal journey of discovery"
Suzanne Simard is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence; her TED talks have been viewed by more than 10 million people worldwide.
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If you have ideas for content that you would like to see included in future newsletters, please do let us know!
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