We encourage self-directed play and exploration
Wildwood Days started in October 2016 and has been organically developed by a couple of mums (Liz and Bea) who like to be outside with their children. It started as themed walks that were designed to encourage children to go a little bit further, enjoy being outdoors in nature and explore something magical.
We support curiosity, risk taking and imagination
In each session that we prepare to run we think about how a child might see things, how children as a group may wish to explore and, for our family events, how a whole family can enjoy being outside together. We work hard to bring a sense of community, welcome and little bit of magic, wonder and joy to some simple outdoor activities.
We help explore sense of self, community and responsibility
Like the woodland around us, we are undergoing constant change and development. So we are continually evaluating what we do. We want to grow and improve but not lose our most precious qualities, the ones that make our little gatherings special. These findings are used to inform our practice, determine our planning and improve future sessions.
Liz Webley
Liz is one of the co-Founders and a Director of Wildwood Days. She loves being outside and worked for Lancashire Wildlife Trust in the Environmental Education department for many years before becoming a mum of two. She has a MSc in Conservation and a Forest School Leaders level 3 qualification.
Liz loves bugs (including her pet millipedes and stick insects) and maintains a fantastic expertise in plant and insect identification. She has an eye for detail and is highly skilled in repurposing and prop creation.
Liz quietly organises the many details that make our events one of a kind. A keen photographer – she loves taking photos of all the things we do and find.
Heidi King
Heidi has recently become the Director of Wildwood Days after many years of delivering Forest School on and off site. She loves to be involved in the many groups, events, clubs and outreach sessions we run. Despite taking on more responsibility and being more involved in the organisational aspects of Wildwood Days in recent years, she is still present at as many things as possible!
Heidi used to be a primary deputy head teacher and is wonderful with children of all ages. She completed her Forest School leader qualification several years ago and has more recently become a NatureWell facilitator.
She loves being a mummy to her own little girl and is always seeking new ways to help others connect with nature! She loves the outdoors, exploring, books, singing and is very creative.
Cat Jolleys
Cat qualified as a Level 3 Forest School leader in early 2024, after a long career as a Deputy Head Teacher and SENDCO in primary schools in Manchester. She has a wealth of experience in working with children with SEND and in Restorative and Trauma Informed Practice.
Jo Greenhill
Jo joined Wildwood Days as a volunteer and became a big believer in the Forest School ethos and the community of brilliant learners at Wildwood Days. Qualifying as a Forest School Leader in 2025, we are thrilled Jo joined our Wildwood Team as a staff member!
Jo loves to support our learners in running around in the woods, making art, and appreciating the beautiful natural world around us. Patient, kind, gentle and with endless enthusiasm – Jo is a real asset to our team!
Karrie Kinloch
Karrie has been part of Wildwood Days for many years as a volunteer and we are thrilled that in 2025 she became part of our staff team! Qualifying as a Forest School Leader in 2025, as well as becoming a Naturewell facilitator, Karrie brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role.
She has several years experience in developing and evaluating programmes to support parent-infant relationships and early years speech, language and communication. Karrie is a perinatal mental health peer supporter and has been working with families for over ten years. She now runs our parent and baby sessions on site, as well as sharing delivery in all our other events and groups.
Karrie is a keen gardener, loves birds and art, and most of all loves being a mum herself. Her bubbly, welcoming, positive demeanour bring joy and warmth to all our sessions, and we’re thrilled she’s part of the team!
Bea Beggs
Bea was the co-founder and co-director of Wildwood for the first five years. In 2021 she returned to full time teaching but without her, Wildwood Days would have never existed!
Bea used to work as a secondary English teacher. She is a fantastic story teller and has a degree in English Literature as well as a Forest School Leaders level 3 qualification.
Bea likes making things magical and is good at seeing things from a child’s point of view. She also bakes a good cake and used to do the catering for all our events. Her presence at Wildwood Days is greatly missed!
Emmie Devlin
Emmie left in December 2023 to develop her own willow business but she was part of Wildwood Days from the beginning. She came to the very first toddler group back in February 2017 with her little boy. She started volunteering with us later that year and then became Wildwood Days first part time member of staff in November 2019. She completed her forest school leader level 3 training in 2020.
Emmie always loved the outdoors (she grew up on a small holding) and is fantastic with children. She is brilliant at getting into character, whether it’s being the troll on the bridge for our Halloween lantern walks or the dragon from Room on the Broom!
Endlessly enthusiastic, Emmie was always full of creative ideas and is very much missed!
Lizzie McElhinney
Lizzie left Wildwood in 2024 to pursue new exciting adventures!
She started working with us in summer 2021 after a few months of volunteering when we really needed an extra pair of hands and soon became a valued member of staff, gaining her Forest School qualification.
She was superb in running all our weekly groups as well as helping to lead the John Muir Award holiday clubs.
Lizzie has a degree in Science from St Andrew’s university and is a keen kayaker. A mother of 4, she is very experienced with all ages of children and loves everything to do with the outdoors. She is very much missed but we wish her well!