About Us
“I believe we’ve become a generation of parents more used to saying “no don’t touch, climb, wander off, get dirty” rather than “yes, of course you can...let me know if you need any help”.
I really want to help children learn to manage their own risk to become confident explorers and innovators and to give parents the confidence to let them do it.”
— Nick Exley
Meet Nick
Growing up I had a pretty idyllic childhood in rural Wiltshire and North Devon. My brothers, friends and I had free-reign to play and explore our local area from dawn to dusk. We spent our spare time exploring, climbing, building dens & camps and cooking on camp fires seemingly with no adult intervention. We didn’t realise it at the time but this freedom which we loved was carefully managed by parents, neighbours and friends who would keep an eye out for us and occasionally “bump” into us at the point we were doing things we really shouldn’t have been! Not necessarily to stop us, but usually to ask a pointed question and let us make our own minds up as to what we should be doing. Everything we needed for our adventures from food and tools to rope & string seemed to be magically available whenever we needed it.
I joined the Royal Navy at 17 and travelled the world, which indulged my passion for the outdoors and adventure. The Navy allowed me to train and instruct a wide variety of outdoor sports including diving, sailing, caving & mountaineering. After leaving the Navy I continued my passions for teaching and the outdoors: lecturing in Public Services, delivering activities for the Prince’s Trust and teaching children to swim.
I spend a great deal of my personal leisure time in the outdoors and have long had an interest in bushcraft and survival skills. The experience of being in Lockdown served to confirm that I didn’t want to spend my working life indoors any longer so I made the decision to invest in retraining and qualifying as a Forest School Practitioner and Bushcraft Instructor.
We now live in a more anxious and stressful time to that I enjoyed when growing up in the 80’s. What I really want is to be able to offer children and their families a slice of the magic and the freedom that I loved so much when growing up. I want "A Little Bit Wilder” to be a fun and exciting place where children can play, learn and develop and where parents can also relax and enjoy watching their children learn from each other and their surroundings.
Meet Esther
I am an experienced teacher with a life long passion for nature and wildlife.
I studied Animal Science and Psychology at University. As well as teaching in several local primary schools, I have worked for The Wildlife Trusts and the National Trust in the areas of Youth Work and Education.
I have lots of experience working in outdoor education, having volunteered as a Wildlife Watch leader in various locations for Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and also at Fernwood Forest Schools. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent assisting with all of these outdoor education sessions and I am a big supporter of the Forest Schools ethos, so I am really looking forward to training as a Forest School Leader this summer, and working with Nick for A Little Bit Wilder.
I believe that as well as being a great way to have fun, develop social and practical skills and to get exercise, all children (and adults) benefit physically and mentally from time spent outdoors and close to nature. It is by taking more time to appreciate the natural world around them, that people will develop the love and respect for the natural world that is crucial at the present time.
Visit Us
We look forward to welcoming you to our wonderful woodland site set within Hollingworth Plantation on the FarmEco Community Care Farm in Screveton, Nottinghamshire.
The site has plenty of parking, a cafe, and holds creative workshops and events.
Our address is Home Farm, off, Lodge Ln, Screveton, Nottingham NG13 8JL.