Where the adventure begins
Sandra Hill - Founder / Forest School Leader / Owner of The World Outside
Sandra is an OCN level 3 qualified freelance Forest School Leader and also a Chartered Landscape Architect certified by the Landscape Institute.
Sandra trained as a forest school leader in 2010 and started her own business in 2011 offering forest school and natural play opportunities to children of all ages throughout the year.
Sandra has worked in the horticultural industry for over 24 years with a background in hardy nursery stock production; she has a very good plant knowledge. She attended Pershore College of horticulture and worked at Wyevale nurseries before progressing to study as a Landscape Architect. Sandra now has 14 year experience as a landscape architect in both the private and public sector, having worked on major projects such as Worcester Hospital, Queens Square Wolverhampton and play pathfinder. Sandra is married and has three children. Amongst her interests she enjoys running, playing the Bass Trombone with Highley Colliery Brass Band, Cleobury Mortimer Concert Brass and the Bromyard Wind Band, she enjoys running and currently working towards Black belt in Taekwondo.
Sandra was a Scout and beaver leader for over 20 years Sandra holds an enhanced DBS /CRB certificate, a first aid certificate specialising in paediatric in the outdoors, a food and hygiene certificate and public liability insurance. Sandra is a member of the Forest School Association and Institute of Outdoor learning with the view to becoming an accredited outdoor learning provider in the future.
Helen - Forest School Leader
My name is Helen Wildboar (yes, I know it's an odd name, you are allowed to laugh!) Married for 21 years and counting with 3 children; Laura: 19, Rachel: 16, Isabel: 14.
I am 50 years old and feel 20 on Forest School days when I can play in the mud! After 13 years as a trained nurse, I fancied a complete change of career (my husband is very
supportive!).
I've always had a passion for the outdoors. I enjoy being outside; playing, walking with our lovely golden retriever and camping and hill walking when possible. I didn't think I'd find a job which would encompass my love of the outdoors, educating youngsters about nature and their surroundings and generally playing in the mud!
Being a Forest School Leader has satisfied all these criteria and I love it!
I worked as Environment Leader at a Primary School in Dudley Borough from 2008 and got thechance to train as a Level 3 Forest School Leader in June 2011 with Bishops Wood Outdoor
Education Centre, Worcestershire. I gained my full qualification in April 2012 and helped to run Forest School sessions for Reception Class at the school throughout the year for the next 3
years.
After moving house to Worcestershire in 2012, I found it increasingly difficult to juggle family life and my job, so I resigned from my post with Dudley Borough in April 2015.
I intended having a career break until September and to keep my 'hand-in' I decided to do some volunteer work in Forest Schools within Worcestershire. I met Sandra, and worked as I volunteer at The World Outside and started working for her in September 2015......the rest is history...... and I'm still loving it!!!
Kate - Forest School Leader and Level 3 Childcare Practitioner
Kate brings a wealth of experience to our team, having managed nurseries across the West Midlands with a passionate and dedicated approach.
As a trained Level 3 Forest School Leader, she possesses an in-depth understanding of outdoor learning and its importance in early childhood development. Kate joined our team in February 2024, and she will be running Forest School programs at Bodenham arboretum.
Her role extends beyond the forest, as she also contributes her expertise as a Level 3 Childcare Assistant at the Kindergarten. Kate's commitment to fostering a love for nature among children and her extensive background in early years education make her an invaluable asset to our staff.
Jeff - Forest School Leader
Jeff is married to Esther and they have 3 children and 5 grandchildren who all love the outdoors. They have been involved in youth work most of their lives. Jeff qualified as a Forest School Leader in 2012 and ran sessions in his role on the the Pastoral Team of a Secondary School in Warwickshire. When his family moved to Kidderminster in 2020 he looked for a Forest School provider where he could volunteer and found us 'The World Outside’. "I love the natural world of God’s awesome creation, the beauty, variety and intricacy. I want young people to explore and love it too!"
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Sarah - Forest School Leader
I live in Kidderminster with my partner, Matt and 2 children, Ella and Zak.
We all love animals and have 2 cats and 2 dogs, Lily is a brown sprocker and mad Elvis who we kept after Lily had a litter of puppies last year, he loves water and constantly smells of the canal!
I love being outdoors and active, so enjoy running, cycling, open water swimming and horse
riding. I work at St Catherines Primary school and have done for the last 5 years as a teaching
asssistant and have gained experience in all key stages.
I am passionate about being outdoors and for every child to have the opportunity to learn
through play in an outdoor environment. My daughter had gone through primary school
without any forest school experience, so I decided I wanted to make a difference and make sure that didn't happen again.
I trained to become a Forest School Leader at Bishops Wood in 2015.
I take classes from reception to year 6 and lead sessions that are inclusive to their current curriculum and topic, I want the children to have the same enthusiasm as me to make a difference to our environment, I also gained experience while training by volunteering with Sandra at The
World Outside, it was amazing and Sandra was fantastic support and my inspiration to carry on with the Forest School ethos for many years to come .
Denise - Marketing
I feel the luckiest person alive to have been given the opportunity to work with Sandra and the team at Bodenham Arboretum!
Having spent over 25 years in the corporate world, in Marketing and PR, it literally is a breath of fresh air to work doing something I love!
I’ll still be doing the ‘Marketing and PR thing’ but I get to have a lot of fun in the process now…spending time in the great outdoors and getting up close to nature….oh, and swapping my heels for a pair of Hunters! I live in rural Worcestershire and share my home with Ernie - a rescue dog from Romania who adores his daily walks in the woods which also gives me the perfect opportunity to try and keep fit!