Brentwood School Celebrity Football Match

For the past three years, the Wilderness Foundation UK has been organising a trip for senior pupils at Brentwood School to visit South Africa during the Summer for eighteen days. Participants undertake a community project in a Zulu village and a 10 day trek encompassing both game reserves and the Drakensberg Mountains.

The 10 day trek is followed by a Zulu community stay. In the past, students have painted the local school and produced 200 bricks from scratch for an extra classroom. The bricks were made by hand, collecting mud at the riverbank and then baking them in the sun to harden.

Projects undertaken during the community stay enhance and develop education, sport, sanitation and healthcare facilities.

On Friday 23rd March 2007 Brentwood School held a fund-raising Celebrity Football Match at Roots Hall, Southend, in order to raise a considerable amount for the community project. WFUK was pleased to attend and support the event which saw the Brentwood School 1st XI take on a celebrity team which included Clive Allen, Tony Cottee, Rob Lee, Justin Edinbugh, Peter Taylor, Warren Barton, Paul Allen, Andy Ansah, Alex Inglethorpe and a host of others.

It was a thrilling and hard-fought match, with the Brentwood XI proving to be excellent opponents for the Celebrity team. The battle for goals raged throughout the ninety minutes, with the score four-all at the final whistle. A penalty shootout saw the Celebrity team take the cup.

The Wilderness Foundation would like to thank everybody who took part, attended or played a role in making this a fantastic event and raising so much money for the work in South Africa. Special thanks to Ian Davies, Headmaster and Brentwood School, Miss. Wennell, Mrs. Tod and Mr. McCann as well as Ron Martin, Chairman and owner of Southend United Football Club who made the event possible, Nina Drew, Marketing Executive ofSUFC, Kim Spooner, Director of Marketing and Development at Brentwood School plus of course the Brentwood Team: - Michael Geggus; Michael Tan; Will Roeder; Christopher Boon; Chris Edkins; James Dawson; Colin Weafer; Ryan Burville; Wayne Marshall; Billy Jennings; Paul Adair; Josh Ruddock; Richard Bray and Ross Phillips.

Thank you all!

Women Only Bushcraft Course

WFUK is pleased to bring you news of a women-only course from Natural Pathways that may be of interest to our members and readers.

Natural Pathways are running a ground-breaking women-only course where you will be shown vital survival skills - at a relaxed pace - with lots of hands-on experience. There will be plenty of time for you to practice your new skills... so you can learn something unique and rewarding.

The course is being run in a beautiful woodland location near Canterbury, Kent. For further information contact Hannah - telephone 01304 842045 or 07828 316827 or alternatively visit www.naturalpathways.co.uk

Please mention The Wilderness Foundation when you call.

Course dates: 16th-18th March and 11th-13th May 2007

Cost: £222 including food.

Natural Pathways Flint Knapping Day

WFUK brings you news of an event that may be of interest to our members and friends:

Natural Pathways "Flint Knapping Day"

With Will Lord

Ever wished you could make tools from a lump of flint?

Well, we have the pleasure of offering you a day learning Flint Knapping skills from the highly expereienced Flintknapper, Will Lord.

Will will guide you through the ancient skill of knapping your own Hand axe, Arrow head or Blade Cores and demonstrate and assist you in using antler hammers and granite beach pebbles as your tools.

The course is run in a beautiful woodland location near Canterbury, Kent.

See website for further information www.naturalpathways.co.uk

Contact Hannah Tel: 01304 842045 or 07828 316827

Dates: 31st March Cost: £67

Book online www.naturalpathways.co.uk

........and we’ll see you in the woods!

If you contact Natural Pathways please tell them that you saw the details on our blogsite. Thanks!

Nature’s Due: Healing Our Fragmented Culture, with Brian Goodwin

WFUK has received this invitation, which we are pleased to extend to our members, friends and readers:

"Just a quick reminder to let you know that you are invited to an evening of talk and discussion next Thursday, 1 March 2007 with Prof. Brian Goodwin, Visiting Scholar at Schumacher College and author of Nature’s Due: Healing Our Fragmented Culture.

Drinks and buffet at Gaia House, 18 Well Walk, London, NW3 from 6pm (Nearest tube Hampstead – Northern Line). A contribution of £7 will be appreciated.

7.30 pm Talk and Discussion at Burgh House, New End Square, London NW3 (Opposite Gaia House).

We do hope you can make it.

RSVP to Lizzie Cooke on lizzie@gaianet.org or telephone us on 020 7428 0055"

We hope you can make it!

Ride Earth

The Wilderness Foundation UK takes great pleasure in bringing you news of an ambitious fundraising project which will see two British men, Andrew Welch and Tom Allen, circumnavigate the world, predominantly off-road, by mountain bike. WF-UK has been chosen as one of the beneficiaries for funds raised by this epic challenge. In the coming months we will bring you all the latest news from the guys including regularly progress reports.

"This quest has developed over many years out of our individual desires to face up to the physical and mental challenge of undertaking a journey of great duration and distance, to educate others as to how one can live a meaningful and sustainable life with a minimal ecological footprint, and our passion for mountain-biking and adventure. We will use the expedition as a fund-raising vehicle, supporting charities whose work aims to help create a sustainable and environmentally-stable future for the planet and the human race.

Our broad itinerary covers over 50 countries, through Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Eastern Asia, Australasia, South America, the USA, and Canada. Of the proposed route, we have so far established off-road routes through the entirety of Europe and North America. Elsewhere in the world, topographical mapping, agricultural & trade routes and current knowledge will be our main sources of off-road routes."

Tom and Andy are due to depart from the UK in May/June 2007. To find out more about them take a look at their website: http://www.ride-earth.org.uk

Wilderness Trail Opportunities

The Wilderness Foundation is dedicated to promoting the value of the world’s remaining wild landscapes, and the urgent need for their conservation, by providing greater knowledge and understanding through direct experience.

Due to demand the Wilderness Leadership School have introduced more open trials for those wishing to experience a wilderness trail who are not part of an organised group. These trails are in the Imfolozi Game Reserve following ancient hunting routes through the historic territory of Shaka, King of the Zulu nation and the natural habitat of a host of African wildlife including the ‘big five’ and over 300 hundred species of birds.

The following trails have vacancies:

6^th – 10^th June

6^th – 10^th August

3^rd – 7^{th & 10th – 14th} September

5^th – 9^th November

7^th – 11 December

Possible availability on 11-day trail 19^th to 30^th August

If you desire a pure wilderness experience in a truly wild environment please contact jackie@wildernessfoundation.org.uk for further information.

Get out into wilderness and boost your self esteem!

Jo Peacock from the University of Essex Dept. of Biological Sciences talks about how research done with the Wilderness Foundation has shown that exposure to wilderness boosts self esteem:



Further details and charts and quotes from participants can be found here.