Blog

Jun-Aug 2024 We are really pleased to have been awarded £500 in seed funding from Salisbury Transition City to run… Continue reading The Secret Wildlife of Salisbury

‘The Mocha’ moth likes woodland habitats. The caterpillars feed on field maple leaves. Written by volunteer Polly Whyte Thanks to… Continue reading 2023 – a bumper year for moth recording!

During our vision and strategy review in 2022-23, a crucial clarification of our philosophy emerged. It is that Hazel Hill… Continue reading Embracing New Connections: Opening the Northern Nature Reserve at Hazel Hill Wood

10-12 May 2024 *partner event* A Meeting in the Woods is a playful and restorative weekend exploring our relationship to… Continue reading A Meeting in the Woods – Permaculture, Play & Presence

We’re really pleased to report that our volunteers are still enjoying themselves at Hazel Hill Wood! Similar results to last… Continue reading 2023 volunteer survey results

As you turn off Grimstead Road and go down the track into Hazel Hill Wood, you pass our meadow on… Continue reading Our wildflower-rich hay meadow

Today I feel very grateful for a simple thing at Hazel Hill Wood: the Longhouse drying room. I cycled to… Continue reading In praise of the simple things: the Longhouse

Maintaining healthy habitats for wildlife. Before you enter Hazel Hill Wood, you pass the meadow. Along the edge of that… Continue reading Hedgerow havens

*Tickets now on sale for our 10-12 Nov 2023 retreat!* The first Hazel Hill Nature and Wellbeing Retreat was excellent,… Continue reading Nature & Wellbeing Retreat 2022

Become a Trustee of Hazel Hill Trust and help shape our work to bring people back into contact with nature.… Continue reading We’re recruiting new Trustees

Please support our charity by nominating us to win £1,000 this festive season! 12 Days of Giving is the last… Continue reading Please nominate us!

On 2nd-3rd June 2022 we ran our 4th annual BioBlitz event – a 24 hour wildlife survey!  Over 24 hours… Continue reading BioBlitz 2022 Summary

CANCELLED Friday 7th – Sunday 9th July 2023. Carolyn Thompson and Kerry Harrison are leading a summer women’s weekend retreat… Continue reading Summer Women’s Weekend Retreat

The first week of June is Volunteers’ Week and is an apt time to celebrate and thank our volunteers, and… Continue reading Celebrating volunteering 2022

2021 was another unsettled year on the whole for humans, but a more settled one in terms of weather for… Continue reading Wildlife and volunteering in 2021

Autumn Conservation Weekend is a time for exchange: come and nurture the woods and the woods will nurture you. A… Continue reading Autumn Conservation Weekend 2021

At this time of harvest I am writing in my capacity as Chair of Trustees to harvest what we have… Continue reading Hazel Hill as a centre for regenerative practice?

In this post I am conducting a thought experiment. My question is, what if we built and maintained our buildings… Continue reading What if we maintained our buildings in a regenerative way?

On 29th July 2021, we celebrated the start of the school summer holidays with a night time safari looking for some… Continue reading Bat and Glow Worm Night 2021

Become a Trustee of Hazel Hill Trust and help shape our work to bring people back into contact with nature.… Continue reading Become a volunteer Trustee of Hazel Hill Wood

All of our accommodation buildings at Hazel Hill Wood rely on wood burning stoves for heating and hot water. We… Continue reading How is firewood made at Hazel Hill Wood?

The last weekend in May saw in our 3rd annual BioBlitz, a 24-hour wildlife survey to find as many different… Continue reading BioBlitz 2021 Summary

Watch our recent online event all about the trees at the wood. We have around 30 species of tree and… Continue reading Trees of Hazel Hill Wood and how to identify trees

Watch our recent online event all about birds. So far at Hazel Hill Wood we have recorded just over 40… Continue reading Birds of Hazel Hill Wood and how to be a good birdwatcher

Well it’s been a rather different year here at Hazel Hill. Sadly, most of our group bookings in 2020 were… Continue reading 2021 Hire – Now Open for Bookings

Haven’t been able to get away yet this year? Craving a digital detox from all those Zoom meetings? Why not… Continue reading Christmas at the Wood

We’ve welcomed a total of 18 volunteers back at covid-secure volunteer days between July and December which is fantastic. We’ve… Continue reading Woodland Update

The Hideway, our brand new accommodation block is almost complete. This week we are testing the building systems before welcoming… Continue reading Latest photos from the new Hideaway

Prior to the Covid pandemic, we were enjoying hosting many more groups in the wood, learning about conservation, sustainability, wellbeing,… Continue reading The Hideaway – transformating the future for all of us

We are offering a lastminute booking discount for anyone who wants to book the 10-person Oak House or the 6-person… Continue reading Lastminute 33% discount on self-catering forest breaks

This summer we are opening our doors for summer holiday bookings. We are letting our two main ecobuildings, the 10-person… Continue reading What could my summer holiday at Hazel Hill Woods look like?

We are pleased to announce that our first Friday of the month volunteer days have restarted, with our next one… Continue reading The return of our first-Friday volunteer conservation days

Covid 19 update – we are pleased to be restarting our first Friday of the month volunteer days on 3rd… Continue reading Friday 3rd July – Volunteer Conservation Day

In May this year, founder and lead funder of Hazel Hill Trust, Alan Heeks stepped down from his role as… Continue reading Oliver Broadbent – new chair of Trustees

One of the ways we fulfill our chartiable aims is to invite groups of people to run their events at… Continue reading Hideaway Sign-off

Join us and contribute to valuable nature conservation work at Hazel Hill Wood. Our Volunteer Conservation Days give you the… Continue reading Friday 7th August – Volunteer Conservation Day

The Autumn Conservation Weekend (mid October – dates tbc shortly) is a time for exchange: come and nurture the woods… Continue reading Autumm Conservation Weekend 2020

The Hideaway – transforming the future for all of us Help us bridge the funding gap! As our charity develops,… Continue reading The Hideaway Project Appeal

Charley Miller tells us what it was like to celebrate the beginning of Spring in her role as Conservation &… Continue reading Celebrating the Spring Equinox at Hazel Hill

We recognise that there are many people living in our community who are not only responsible for their own wellbeing… Continue reading Carers in our community

Calling: social entrepreneurs, change makers, campaigners, activists, green pioneers; charity, NGO and community leaders. This programme is about connecting social… Continue reading Pioneers of change

Living with the Heartbeat of the Land: a year’s journey celebrating and marking the Celtic festivals and learning from the… Continue reading Heartbeat of the land

Event run by Maddy Harland and Marcos Frangos, with support from Agatha Manouche – 2nd to 4th November 2018. Samhain… Continue reading Celebrating our ancestors

Hazel Hill is an ancient woodland site, meaning that this land has been wooded for centuries. Species like bluebell and… Continue reading The trees of the wood

21st to 23rd September 2018 Mabon is a time of completion and celebrating in gratitude for all we have harvested,… Continue reading Equinox celebration

22nd to 24th June 2018 – Bring inspiration and creative juice to your life and work. Do you want to… Continue reading Creative Spirit

Kirstin & Marcos are delighted to host this retreat, in the magical setting of Hazel Hill Wood. Created for those… Continue reading Retreat and Constellation Workshop

New for 2018 – we are increasing our Local Group discount to 20% for 2018. This is for groups and… Continue reading New 20% discount for local groups

Thursday 4th and Friday 5th January 2018. 9am to 5pm – on site accommodation is available in our beautiful off… Continue reading Outdoor first aid training

Guiding places and projects to serve the highest good. 2nd – 4th February 2018 with Alan Heeks and Agatha Manouche… Continue reading Spiritual Stewardship

Celebrate community, nature and life in a magical wood. 23rd to 25th of February 2018(Fr 5.30pm – Sun 4.30pm) No… Continue reading Forest Roots – a weekend for 16 to 24s

A gathering for woodland centres and teachers, to share learning and explore mutual support. If you’re involved with a woodland… Continue reading Woodland learning – a network circle

21st September 2017 Thursday, Sept 21 is autumn equinox and also Peace Day and all round the world there are… Continue reading Special autumnal equinox and Peace Day singing evening at the wood

Open up to the magic of the wood and the collective wisdom and support of a group of men. Relax… Continue reading Nourish, reflect, refresh – a men’s peer group meeting at Hazel Hill Wood

13th – 15th Oct 2017. A workshop guided by Alan Heeks, Jane Sanders and … the wood. How can we… Continue reading Growing through uncertainty

his weekend combines the satisfaction of outdoor physical activity with the restorative effect of relaxing in a woodland environment. Over… Continue reading Autumn Conservation 2017

After years of trustworthy use, heating the sauna and Long House it’s time to say goodbye and thank you to… Continue reading Refurbishing the Longhouse

ason Turner and his team have been an invaluable part of Hazel Hill’s operations for many years. They not only… Continue reading Jason Turner – our forester in the limelight

Hazel Hill Trust is a registered UK Charity, Charity Number 1160691. We warmly welcome donations and grants, large or small.… Continue reading Fund raising

One of my abiding memories from last year is the Wild Margins of Organisational Change which Wisdom Tree ran 15… Continue reading Marcos Frangos reflects on 2016 at the Wood

I’d been looking for somewhere to run a singing weekend to re-connect people with the natural environment and each other,… Continue reading Singing Under the Stars – what it is like bringing a group to Hazel Hill

Written by Oliver Broadbent and originally published on his blog at http://eiffelover.com A recent weekend of conservation work Hazel Hill… Continue reading Hazel vs. Hornbeam (the fate of best-laid plans)

Hazel Hill Wood, September The trees: roots sewn through sandysoil, pleated leaves embroideringthe sky – a ladder between leaf-mould,the snails,… Continue reading A poem from the woods

How can we stay happy when there’s too much change and uncertainty? Are there ways to bounce back and thrive… Continue reading Finding your personal happy

In May 2016 HHW representatives and supporters gave a presentation to the Wiltshire Council’s Southern Wiltshire Area Board to give… Continue reading Presentation to Southern Wiltshire Area Board

Highlights from Hazel Hill Wood Visit 26th and 27th April, by Penny Theobald Six members stayed overnight in the charming… Continue reading Birdsong at Hazel Hill Wood

Third of 3 workshops inviting women to partake in an evolving circle of women and explore the steps in a… Continue reading Ways of Women, Ways of Sisterhood, Medicine Women

In my earlier blog I touched on the themes of belonging; the ties that link us to people, groups, concepts… Continue reading Taming the Wild Elephant

The sun shone and the woods buzzed with fun, conservation and learning at our family weekend and ‘open afternoon’ in… Continue reading Spring Family Conservation and Nature Discovery Weekend

So here we are, early Spring, and I’m writing this blog to set out my stall for the three forthcoming… Continue reading Constellation workshops with Marcos Frangos at Hazel Hill Wood

Guest Blog by Alan Heeks, March 2016, first published at www.living-organically.com It happens so often, you suspect the animals must… Continue reading Face-offs with cows, and flying chickens. Lessons in community from Ethiopian roads

Spring feels like it’s just around the corner, and with that energy we warmly invite you to shake off winter’s… Continue reading Yoga & Woodland Workout at Hazel Hill

As part of the Hazel Hill Conservation Weekend in February, we will be exploring our inner nature through some gentle… Continue reading Yoga & Conservation Weekend at Hazel Hill Wood

It’s a pretty straightforward fact that our wood, Hazel Hill Wood, contains an awful lot of trees.  Which means we’re… Continue reading Coals to Newcastle, Owls to Greece and Fire Wood to Hazel Hill Wood!

Written by Isobel Jacobs Silly songs and marshmallows on an open fire, under an arc of ancient trees; a small… Continue reading Kids in the Wood @HHW: saunter, stumble, climb, explore, trip and get messy

On Wednesday 23rd September Hazel Hill Wood hosted a group of 6 volunteers from Lloyds Banking Group in Andover. As… Continue reading Lloyds Corporate Conservation Day at HHW

On Saturday 5 September a rather tentative morning sun eased its way through a cold start, and led on to… Continue reading Nature Scavenge at Hazel Hill

As we approach September, you may be going back to a regular job, or not.  Either scenario may leave you… Continue reading Back to Work: Drag or Delight? Find yourself or lose yourself in the daily task

On July 21, Wisdom Tree hosted a highly successful day at Hazel Hill Wood, on the theme Nourishing Resilience For… Continue reading Nourishing Resilience: Seedlings of Change

Alan Heeks Writes… As of June 2015, I have gifted the ownership and operation of Hazel Hill Wood to a… Continue reading Introducing Hazel Hill Trust

Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv This American book is a cogent, well-researched explanation of the many ways… Continue reading How Nature Deficit Disorder is damaging today’s kids

Men generally grow up seeing other men as competitors, and mostly have poorer support networks and interactive skills than women.… Continue reading Why do men need men’s groups?

Grab your wellies, slap on some sun cream and start your summer with a wonderful family-fun conservation weekend at Hazel… Continue reading Pondering, pootling and pottering by the pond!

Marcos Frangos will be leading a constellation retreat at Hazel Hill Wood, Thursday 15 October 6pm – Friday 16 October… Continue reading Tap into your own ‘Wellspring of Wellbeing’

Average daily life and work seems to get more uncertain and demanding for all of us: that includes the professional… Continue reading Nourishing resilience: professionals need this too

Children visiting Hazel Hill Wood often take a healthy and delighted interest in our compost loos: they immediately see the… Continue reading Composting Loos – a lesson in resilience

The speed of nature’s growth in Spring is astonishing: the beautiful carpet of wood anemones shown in the picture burst… Continue reading Seeing the point of woodland conservation…

All 16 of us had a lovely time on this weekend, and did a lot for our own wellbeing and… Continue reading News from our Conservation and Wellness Weekend

Twilight is a special time for me in nature: and especially so at Hazel Hill Wood in Springtime. Very recently,… Continue reading 50 Shades of Twilight: The Magic of a Wood in Spring

By Alan Heeks I talk about resilience a lot, and I hear very varied definitions of it from others.  Some… Continue reading Growing Natural Resilience: how can we learn from ecosystems