Laurie and Dan met in 2016 whilst working together as Gardeners. As they got to know each other they knew that there was a connection, they had similar dreams, desires, and thoughts on the world and both obviously had a passion for gardening.

For several years previous Dan had been spending a lot of time travelling. He had spent a great deal of time living with tribes in Borneo and Vanuatu and felt at home in the wilderness and jungle, he loved their way of living and their self-sufficiency.

“Before travelling back to the UK with the interest of finding land, it was an alien concept to me that anyone could even own forests and woodlands”

In 2013 after much hunting and hard work, Dan purchased the original, then completely overgrown 2.5 acres, and Freedom Forest was born - fulfilling his desire and understanding for the importance of having land to work, enjoy and grow on .... and so the clearing and transformation began!

The name [Freedom Forest] came about very naturally, as feeling free and the forest were two of the most important things to Dan. Initially he was only interested in finding woodland, but after some research, the importance of having open areas to grow food became clear, as you cannot just clear a forest as you please.

Meanwhile, Laurie had been living in Raglan, New Zealand for the previous 7 years. There she really became aware of the importance of organic, clean, wholesome foods and grew much of her own food, instinctively using only natural methods and also discovering the principles and ways of Permaculture.

“I had several amazing friends who had studied and were practicing permaculture, I didn’t fully understand what it meant at first, but I knew it resonated with me - I needed to know more. I learnt by just hanging out with my friends, looking at their gardens and asking questions mostly, then borrowing their books and study papers”

“I was blessed with many great gardening friends, who understood the importance of living gently and as chemical free as possible. The town where I lived [Raglan] was very much like that, and although I didn’t realise it back then, I was in a time of total immersion and learning”

In 2019 Laurie and Dan where able to purchase an additional 0.5 acres of adjoining overgrown land to Freedom Forest, allowing for the reconstruction of existing old poly-tunnel's and more beneficial full sun growing areas, that are still currently in construction.

And so Freedom Forest, their journey towards self-sufficiency and desire to inspire others in the way of healthy growing and living continues to blossom and become more of a reality with each passing season, as they learn and work with the land and nature gently and respectfully, sharing their knowledge with others along the way. ✌️🌿