After a month of opening to the public, Out Of Nature 2017 closed on 29 October. We welcomed around 4,000 visitors from all over the UK and beyond, who had come to enjoy, see, feel, touch, walk into and in some instances, play on, over 240 sculptures exhibited around the gardens and grounds of Newport House.

Out of Nature’s prime objective was to raise funds for and awareness of The Cart Shed, a charity about which I am passionate and of which I am a trustee. It provides daily evidence of how “just being” outdoors in a safe and embracing human environment allows the body and the mind to restore, refresh and manage debilitating mental health conditions such as depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, substance misuse and anxiety.

Images from the exhibition linger on - of sculptures coming alive in the autumn light, of cosiness and yummy, wholesome food in the food tent, and of enriching encounters with visitors.

The garden and the sculptures brought awe and wonder. They were a portal into a natural world that is stunningly beautiful, nurturing, embracing.

Visitors commented that it was “inspiring”, “uplifting”, “breath taking”. Even on the rainy, chilly days.

It was heartening to see so many people of different ages, backgrounds and views share the experience: we live in a wonderful natural world, and it is there for us to dip into whenever we need it. Be it through delicious fruit and vegetables, the scent of flowers or dead leaves, through a walk outside with the dog… or through days at The Cart Shed.

We raised around £5,000, increased awareness of The Cart Shed, enrolled many new volunteers and continued to develop community understanding around the impact of poor mental health and what can be done to support those who live with it. What the implications of this experience are is yet unclear. But warm memories stay in one’s mind for a long time, like a teddy bear that can be pulled out when needed. Connections have been made.

May that awe, wonder and trust in natural processes be integrated into our lives more and more!

Jenny Watt
Newport House, November 2017

Heartfelt thanks to:

• The artists - many made pieces for the show and transported them from far afield. Forty-three artists showed 247 pieces, most of them outdoors. Admire them here: www.outofnature.org.uk/programme/artists-2017 and in our photo gallery: www.outofnature.org.uk/gallery/out_of_nature_2017. Some sold, but some are still available for sale, please email us to enquire: jenny@thecartshed.co.uk.
• The vibrant Cart Shed stand, manned by volunteers and participants from The Cart Shed, gave weekend visitors an opportunity try their hand at turning wood on the pole lathe, or discuss the therapeutic benefits of being outdoors with a member of the team.
• Paula and Pedro cooked every day creating an array of different soups, quiches and cakes with produce from the walled garden – you can try their recipes for yourself! The food was served by an international team of enthusiastic WWOOFers, and by no less enthusiastic gardeners and Cart Shed staff, including CEO Katie Eastaugh. Check out Paula & Pedro's blog for recipes for the cheese scones, Hungarian mushroom soup, salted caramel tart, and all the rest!
• Every person who worked on the show or who visited it; they all created the overall experience with their hard work and enthusiasm.
• The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Telegraph for their support, as well as the Hereford Times and BBC Hereford & Worcester: www.outofnature.org.uk/press/coverage.

Some highlights:

• Our events brought in people from different areas, with a different buzz every time. You can get a flavour of the activities on offer here: www.outofnature.org.uk/programme/workshops-and-activities.
• Garden historian Kate Feluś spoke of the history of Newport House and its people: find out more about her book on the subject.
• Sculptor Mark Richards took part in a conversation with Richard Heatly on what drives his work, in a talk initiated by the Powys Art Fund.
• Mike Abbott and Gudrun Leitz organized a “Winds of Change” weekend on the warmest weekend of the month, with demonstrations of green wood craft and talks about how to manage woods and why. They invited some of their friends, such as writer Rob Penn, writer and photographer Archie Miles, and illustrator Jackie Morris, to talk about their work. Jackie spoke about her latest book “The Lost Words”, illustrated by her and written by Robert Macfarlane, celebrating and reinstating the ‘lost words’ that have been recently taken out of the Oxford Junior Dictionary, such as acorn and conker. It sold out within three weeks of publication.
• Watch a video of the show! Out Of Nature seen from the air.

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