Wild Collaborative is a team of interdisciplinary creatives passionate about nurturing young people’s creativity and celebrating the value of public green spaces through poetry and visual arts.
Our Mission
To give young people a voice through the creation of poetry trails that celebrate and champion the importance of public green spaces. We are fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and believe that all children should have a voice and the opportunity to engage with the Arts and green spaces, regardless of their background or learning needs.
The end results are poetry installations featuring the work we produce, to be enjoyed by everyone in the local community. The poems displayed touch on important themes - from science and history to health and well-being. They are also designed to capture the unique features of each green space and provide a platform for local children’s writing and ideas. It is our hope that projects will inspire further creativity and provoke dialogue on the value of community arts and caring for our public green spaces.
Chrissie Drew
Chrissie is the Green Spaces Projects Officer for Teignbridge District Council and Producer of the Wild Collaborative. With a background in performing arts, health, well-being, and community engagement she endeavours to provide creative opportunities that enable people to experience and interact with the natural world around them.
Caitlin Miller
Caitlin is one of the co- founders of this project and has an MA in Creative Writing. She has had poetry published online and in print and has previously worked as a teaching assistant, workshop facilitator and English tutor. She is passionate about education, engaging young people with literature and the arts and the importance of community green spaces.
Louisa Adjoa Parker
Louisa is a Poet and Writer from the South West. She writes about themes including nature and the countryside; place, home, and belonging; and identity and difference. Her work has been widely published and she has delivered many writing workshops to children and young people across the South West.
Who We Are
James Chisolm
James is a Bristol based Filmmaker and Photographer who grew up in Teignmouth, Devon. He loves discovering great outdoor locations to incorporate with documentary and music video filmmaking. Also, a passionate landscape and nature photographer he is most at home behind the camera.
Mairead Warren
Designer, Editor & Art Director Mairead is passionate about nature, the outdoors and using creativity in relation to the environment. With a background in publishing and the arts, she brings imagination, curiosity, and clear communication to the project.
We began working together in 2019 when we received funding from Arts Council England to create an outdoor children’s poetry project in partnership with Teignbridge District Council. This became WRITE Botanical at Homeyards Botanical Gardens in Shaldon. In 2020 we began to develop two more poetry and visual arts projects with our partners in Devon. WRITE Decoy and WRITE Bakers are now being developed as digital resources because of the national lockdowns. The Nature Writing Activities and Poetry Trail Films are available to view for free on this website. Please enjoy browsing our material and connect with us if you wish to find out more.
Community Support
As well as support and funding from our main partners Teignbridge Council and Arts Council England, this project wouldn't be possible without the help and involvement of local businesses, schools and members of the community including:
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Idverde Grounds Maintenance | ASigns | Friends of Homeyards Botanical Gardens | Newton Abbot Museum |
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Shaldon Primary School | Decoy Primary School | Bradley Barton Primary School
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