A morning of meeting wild medicinal plants
Join us for a morning of discovering about the medicinal wild plants in the John Clare Cottage garden near Peterborough, and the surrounding countryside, with Medical Herbalist and Nature Educator, Hannah Sylvester.
A gentle two hours stroll around the gardens and footpaths surrounging the Cottage, identifying, tasting and introducing the plants and trees we meet along the way, and how they can be used for health in the home.
We'll then return to John Clare Cottage for a herbal tea break, where Hannah will guide a short meditation and herbal infusion tasting, to introduce you to how you can learn about a medicinal plants, by using the senses and recording your own findings using writing and art materials, before sharing about what we discover, as a group.
A perfect way to help you to reconnect with wild nature, see plants with new eyes, and help you to build your confidence in interacting with wild plant life.
Who is this suitable for?
No prior experience is needed. All materials are provided. Please advise the organiser of any allergies in advance of the session, or if pregnant or breastfeeding. Due to the likely cross-terrain nature of the walk, this session won't be suitable for wheelchair or mobility scooter users. Suitable for ages 16 and upwards.
Please wear suitable clothing and footwear for the walks.
Tickets, ticket sale closing date and minimum numbers:
Places are limited to 16 people. Tickets will be on sale, until 11pm on Thursday 31st July 2025. A minimum of 8 people are required for this event to take place. Should minimum numbers for the event not be met, full refunds will be offered to those who have purchased tickets.
About John Clare Cottage in Helpston:
We are delighted to be invited to partner in offering this workshop in the beautiful surroundings of John Clare Cottage. The historic home of John Clare, the poet and early environmentalist.
John Clare was born in 1793 in the village of Helpston, Northamptonshire, in what is now preserved as Clare Cottage. The son of a farm labourer, Clare grew up in a modest thatched home surrounded by open fields, ancient hedgerows, and the common lands that sustained rural communities for generations. With only a basic education, he taught himself to read and write, quickly developing a talent for poetry that was rooted in a deep and personal connection to the natural world.
Rather than simply describe nature, Clare wrote from within it. He named the birds, plants, and insects around him with the accuracy of a naturalist and the sensitivity of a poet. Skylarks, primroses, fieldfares, and poppies appear in his verse not as poetic symbols, but as neighbours. His close observation of the countryside, shaped by daily labour and long walks, created a body of work that was grounded, immediate, and rich in detail. He wrote in local dialect, used irregular metres to mimic birdsong and wind through trees, and celebrated not just the grand or beautiful, but the overlooked and ordinary.
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