Keeping it Wild Collective: Roots in the Woods with POCKETS

Join us for a day of exploring the Sydenham Hill and Dulwich Woods, storytelling, and getting creative with clay and natural materials to craft amulets that intertwine are personal and ecological roots! 🌱🌲🌳🌴

For centuries, the Great North Wood has been a living link between people and nature. First mentioned in the 13th century, this ancient woodland once stretched across South London, sustaining communities through timber, firewood, and farmland. Today, only fragments of the original forest remain, surrounded by the rhythm of modern London life.

Artist Collective POCKETS will lead us in exploring the ecological identities of the wildlife which inhabit these woods, reflecting on how they intertwine with our own cultural roots and personal stories. Through examining connections between human and natural identities, we aim to uncover shared threads - reminding us why these precious ecosystems are worth protecting. 🤝🌿🐦

The session will conclude with a guided clay amulet workshop, where you’ll craft a charm inspired by both your identity and the natural world. This creative process will celebrate the vital relationship between people and woodland and highlight the importance of sustainable restoration.

As always you don't need to be an artist or nature expert to take part - we aim to create a supportive and inclusive environemnt where you can share and learn with other like minded young Londoners. 🌟

📅 Date: Sunday 17th May 2026

⏰ Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

📍 Meeting Point: Sydenham Hill Station, SE21 7ND ///alert.items.these

🙋‍♀️ Who can join: Young people aged 16–30

What to Expect

🌳Discover Sydenham Hill & Dulwich Woods - a remaining part of the ancient Great North Woods!

🐦 Explore the parallels between wildlife and human identity in a supportive environment

👐Get hands-on in a creative clay amulet-making workshop

💪Meet the POCKETS team - specialists in connecting people to green spaces, local history, and folklore

🗣️ Meet and connect with like-minded people in nature

Why join us!

🍽️We'll provide a FREE lunch - this will be a light picnic lunch with options like sausage rolls (vegan and halal option included!), snack bars and fruit

🧑‍🤝‍🧑Bring someone new to nature and get a free coffee voucher to use at London Wildlife Trust cafes!

🌟Meet our facilitators🌟

POCKETS is a love letter to the land that is South London. Through workshops, exhibits, and publications, they aim to tell the stories of Londons not-so-hidden green spaces, and redefine who belongs in the outdoors. Formed in 2025 by poet iyarhi, photographer Jake Egelnick, and illustrator Skai Campbell, they have worked with institutions such as Kew, UAL, and SET. You can usually find them up a tree, hunting for hedgehogs, or wassailing in a garden, but online they’re @pockets.projsl.

Check out some of their work in the banner!

How to get there

🚇 Tube/train stations: Sydenham Hill (National Rail) – Just 15 minutes from London Victoria

🚏 Bus: Kingswood Drive/ College Road (Route 450) – 7-minute walk,

Wells Park Road (Routes 202/363) – 10-minute walk

🚗 Car: Sydenham Hill Station has limited car parking spaces which are pay and display

Accessibility

Please be aware footpaths are uneven and there are many steps because of the Wood’s inclines. However, a wheelchair accessible route can be created, just let us know on the sign-up form if you have any access requirements. The walk will be at a leisurely pace with plenty of stopping points along the way.

We want to make sure everyone can be part of the Collective, if travel costs were a barrier to you attending we can reimburse you for travel within the GLA (what is the GLA), just get in touch with your travel receipt after the event.

If you have any questions about accessibility, please get in touch with us at [email protected]

The delivery of the Reuniting Sydenham Hill Wood and Dulwich Wood Project is made possible by our funders and community partners: The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Dulwich Estate, Southwark Council, The Kusuma Trust, The John Horseman Trust, Black Girls Hike, Wanderers of Colour and Kingswood Community CIC.

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Host or Publisher London Wildlife Trust