Ellie Osborne, Kate Rudd, John Anderson, Miles Irving

Hazel Hill

Near Salisbury, Wiltshire

Hazel Hill is a woodland retreat centre grounded in exchange with the more-than-human world. We nurture this beautiful ecosystem, and in return, it provides us with endless opportunities for healing and learning. It is a 70-acre private woodland near Salisbury. Here, amidst the trees, individuals and groups embark on transformative journeys, facilitated by the wisdom of the wood.

Annually, over 1000 visitors find solace in our 70-acre private woodland sanctuary. Many attend residential retreats orchestrated by our partners, while some come to retreats we personally lead. Many are drawn by the woods’ innate healing powers, and others by educational activities. Yet, a shared core practice unites our diverse community, encompassing three vital elements:
Care for the Wood – This extends beyond the tangible. We strive to foster a profound bond with the woodland, tuning into its intricate, expansive intelligence to discern how best to serve and protect it.
Healing – The connection with the living world is therapeutic. We craft spaces of healing both within the woods and inside our off-grid buildings, creating warm hearths where individuals can convene, find solace, and rejuvenate.
Learning – The woodland’s vast intelligence holds lessons for us all. Our aim is to guide visitors in tapping into this reservoir of wisdom, helping them interpret and internalise the insights they glean.
Hazel Hill Wood offers a rich mixture of indoor and outdoor spaces for gathering, for quiet reflection and rich discussion.

We have five, beautiful off-grid buildings: the Oak House, the Longhouse, the Ark, the Hideaway and the Roundhouse. Together they offer accommodation for 20 to 30 people, cooking, eating and gathering.

It fulfils the following criteria:
Finished project - to the extent that it has been set up and operational as a trust since 2015. The founder has left, marking another moment of transition / completion / new beginning.
Located in Wiltshire, Ellie’s region, and South West - Kate's region.
It was originally set up with an intention to foster deep ecology and deep adaptation in response to the climate crisis.
As such its aims are aligned with bringing the whole into being (increasing biodiversity - working with human and more than human + to bring a physical space and project to the public.
Ellie is on the board of trustees and can likely have a conversation with the chair and founder.

It was originally a forested woodland mainly used for timber. Around 1987, the founder, Alan bought it. An intention emerged to increase biodiversity, slowly over time buildings were developed on site, responding to needs of those that used the woodland. Alan has brought a spiritual element to it, and it has always had a sustainable ethos.

Hazel Hill became a Trust in 2015. Alan did this so that the woodland and this place of significance for so many
can remain when he goes. He was chair of trustees until 2022, and left officially in 2023.

Ellie has been on board of trustees for 3 years.

Ellie has asked current chair if he will be interviewed, and will be speaking with him this week.
Ellie will reach out to Alan the founder to see if he is happy to be involved too.