From Our Correspondents in Kenya: Part One
Listen to this article On behalf of everyone at Word Forest, may I extend deep gratitude alongside notification that a small team from the UK are here in Kenya on our annual M&E Visit (monitoring and evaluation). The recent global health crisis prevented us from carrying out our M&E in 2020 or 2021. It’s impossible […]
The Green Gazelles Rugby Club And The BBC
Listen to this article It’s always inspiring to come across trailblazers and the Green Gazelles Rugby Club is certainly that and then some. Not only are they the world’s first vegan rugby union team, but they are also determined to raise awareness of and take positive action on climate change, as well as encouraging community […]
Shocking Report From Global Witness – The Risks To Environmental Activists
You may remember that back in 2021 we shared an article written by our CEO Tracey West about the shocking and brutal murder of her friend, the Kenyan environmental activist Joannah Stutchbury. Joannah had spent years protecting the beautiful and precious Kiambu Forest, speaking out with passion and determination against land-grabbers and well-known private developers […]
Chard Eco Fayre
We’re officially excited! On Saturday 22nd October it’s the third Chard Eco Fayre and we’re hoping it’ll be the best yet! Chard Guildhall will be filled with traders selling a whole smörgåsbord of lovely sustainable, vegan goodies, from sausage rolls to soap, candles to clothing and more besides. In addition, there will be displays from […]
Trees In Words And Poems
Listen to this article Incredibly enough, trees have always been part of the most interesting pieces of literature and readings. They have been portrayed by some of the greatest names in literature, from Shakespeare to Robert Frost. As I write, it is summer, and with it, the draw of being close to a tree and […]
An Ode To Compost
Listen to this article The poet David Whyte said that when you are a child, you learn words physically, whereas adults learn words in the abstract. When a child learns the word ‘door’ they take all the weight and towering physicality of it into themselves, the physicality is inseparable from the concept. For me, the […]
‘If I Were A Tree’ Writing Competition
During the school summer holidays, Tracey and I had the great pleasure of judging a writing competition for primary schools in East Devon organised by local author Jo Earlam. The competition was run, for the second year, by the Sidmouth Science Festival and the Sidmouth Arboretum Project, with the prizegiving held on the last day […]
Celebrating The 70th Anniversary Of Our Corporate Sponsor, Childrensalon
A few months ago, Word Forest CEO Tracey West and I were delighted to receive an invitation from Childrensalon to organise a craft table for children at an event celebrating their 70 year anniversary. Childrensalon is a company with family at its heart, selling beautiful children’s’ clothing. Its founder, Sybil Harriman, was a talented seamstress […]
Improving Forest Cover In Kenya; Thoughts On Good Practice
We are pleased to share this interesting article from Lawrence Ogango, our colleague in Kenya – it reinforces exactly why we work the way we do, supporting and empowering communities to plant and nurture the trees that they know grow well in their areas. Recently, Kenya attained a 10% forest cover, half of the target […]