Event Leaders Bio – Final

Meet our Event Leaders

Chenma Hayhurst

Having had the great fortune to grow up watching and assisting her father Alistair running his woodworking business, Chenma can add the additional element of wellness to their events. This is from having been born and raised in Buddhist centres. This has ensured a close relationship with mindfulness techniques and meditation. She aims to highlight the benefit of working with and within the natural environment around us. Chenma also provides nourishing plant based and visually beautiful lunches and refreshments at events, truly believing in the healing power of food.

Lucy Kay

Lucy is a BANT registered Nutritional Therapist based in Derby.

As a nutritional therapist, hypnobirthing teacher and mum of three, Lucy's joy comes from working with people and helping them to achieve their goals - whether it’s optimal health, a positive birth experience or just getting the most they can out of life. 

Lucy believes the human body is clever and knows how to keep you healthy – from childbirth to every day life. However, many factors can influence your body and how it works such as diet, lifestyle, stress, anxiety and the environment. There are many ways we can bring these things back into balance and give our bodies the coping mechanisms needed to navigate the complex world we live in. 

Her style is very personal, non-judgemental and understanding. She knows how hard it can be to follow a healthy diet when the food environment around us is determined to sabotage even our best efforts. She is also aware of how confusing it can be with so much conflicting advice and information around us. She'll help you cut through all the noise and find what works for you, offering as much support, advice and inspiration that she can along the way.

Her website is: www.mindbodytree.co.uk

Rachael Powell - Glass Artist

Rachael is a Stained Glass artist based in Leicestershire. Having  

studied art at school she has continued to be passionate about it throughout her life. 

She works across various mediums but has developed a particular passion for glass.  She loves colour and the way light and reflections play across the glass bringing new perspectives to her creations. 

Her work is inspired by nature and she works on projects large and small.  She cultivates a relaxed and patient atmosphere in her workshops to allow her students to realise their creative ambitions.

 

Her email is: [email protected]

Sarah Spencer

Think like a Tree/Think like a Forest. Sarah is a regenerative trainer and speaker, helping individuals, businesses and organisations to adopt regenerative ways of living and working, inspired by living-systems success. She is author of Think like a Tree: the natural principles guide to life and runs Think like a Tree programmes at Whistlewood, supporting people to create the lives they want, inspired by the wisdom of nature. If you are interested in regenerative practice, Sarah welcomes you to join the online Inspired by Nature Network. Sarah holds a Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design and was a co-founder and lead permaculture designer for Whistlewood Common. Her family smallholding and woodland is the next farm over from Whistlewood. Her Website is www.thinklikeatree.co.uk
Graham Truscott Graham is an experienced permaculture practitioner who has been involved with Whistlewood Common since its inception in 2013. Today he cares for more than 200 orchard trees across several new and established orchards in South Derbyshire, including those at Whistlewood. He leads and facilitates numerous workshops at Whistlewood, as well as festivals across the country on subjects as diverse as hiking stick creation, comedy improvisation, organisational governance and fruit tree care.

Ali Hayhurst

- Underwood Crafts. Alistair is an experienced woodworker and yurt maker, having ran a coppice crafts business based in Ashbourne for over 20 years. He specialises in traditional woodland crafts such as wattle hurdles, cleft fencing, and hedgelaying, and runs a variety of courses throughout the country as well as locally for organisations such as Derbyshire Eco Centre, The Wildlife Trust, and The National Trust. Spending most of the winter sourcing his materials in local coppice woodland, Alistair gets great satisfaction in seeing the tree from where it came, and using traditional and often ancient methods to transform it into a bespoke item. Ali's website is www.underwoodcrafts.co.uk. Ali and Chenma deliver regular willow working and wellbeing events at Whistlewood.
Andy Mason - Andy Mason Ceramics & Food. Andy has spent many years developing his ceramics technical knowledge, skill and creativity. Using this expertise he creates a range of pottery at his studio in Derby and also enjoys sharing his enthusiasm and offering tuition, practical demonstrations and workshops. Andy delivers regular public and private Raku events at Whistlewood. Andy designed and led the Central tile installation project in our Roundhouse. Andy's website is www.rakuworkshops.uk and his email is [email protected]

Sandra Da Silva - Yoga Teacher

Sandra started her Yoga journey in 1998 with a short stay in an Ashram in India, inspiring her to become a teacher. She qualified as a Wheel of Yoga Teacher in 2007 and has continued to learn ever since and teach this amazing system that integrates body, mind and spirit leading to a state of balance and wellbeing. Her email is: [email protected]
Website: www.sandradasilva.com

Dena Smiles - Probiotic Love

Dena is a mother of 5, a Plant loving chef, permaculture designer, community facilitator and teacher. She offers workshops teaching about fermentation, cooking skills and hedgerow finds. In one of Dena's many incarnations she was an award winning chef at Vegetarian restaurant Cafe Roya in Nottingham.
Her website is: probiotic-love.weebly.com