Sarah Lawfull
Co-founder and Director
A colleague once described Sarah as having ‘leaves in her hair and wood in her veins’. Sarah loves learning, people, and the planet. A professional certified coach, Forest School Association-endorsed trainer, and education consultant, Sarah co-founded Where The Fruit Is to provide transformational coaching, training and now enjoying the delights of grandparenthood, she shares her enthusiasm for playing outdoors, learning through and caring for nature with people of all ages.
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Early in her teaching career, Sarah realised the importance of freedom, play, and a connection to nature. Children whose lives were already impacted by trauma, living in small flats without gardens, were expected to arrive at school ready to learn. Getting them outdoors every day became a matter of survival for the staff. The calming effect of nature was evident. The children thrived and rediscovered a zest for learning.
Over three decades of voluntary work with teenagers in church youth groups, coupled with her experience leading long-term Forest School programmes with young autistic people, convinced her that nature connection, a sense of belonging, and agency were needed more than ever.
Before setting up Where The Fruit Is, Sarah was the lead trainer for Oxfordshire Forest School Service, part of the Oxfordshire Early Years Team, and a programme tutor at Hill End Centre. She has supported many settings in introducing Forest School’s transformative, holistic approach to their learners.
Whilst training at Henley Business School, Sarah discovered Nancy Kline’s Time to Think approach, Peter Hawkins’ Team Coaching and Dr Stewart Desson’s Lumina Learning tools. This led her to further training in all of them. She relishes learning about effective leadership and how the business world has much to teach us about future thinking. She is committed to forging inclusive communities and cultures that foster psychological safety, creativity and innovation.
Sarah has been Chair of the Forest School Association, co-founded the Nature Premium campaign, and has worked with county councils, the National Forest, Leicester City in the Community and the Royal Forestry Society, amongst others, to deliver nature-based interventions. Sarah is a member of the Henley Coaching Centre, the ICF, a Lumina Learning practitioner, and a fellow of the RSA.
Vaughn Lawfull
Co-founder and Director
Vaughn loves running or walking on the Berkshire Downs with his canine sidekick, Neville, the Patterdale Terrier. He bakes delicious bread and enjoys pottering in the garden or heading out on van adventures, exploring beautiful places in Britain.
A consulting structural engineer with a thriving consultancy practice, he has been instrumental in setting up Where The Fruit Is. He has invested his money, time, love, and business acumen in building a company that meets the pressing needs of children and young people for time in nature by training and coaching educators and leaders.
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Married to Sarah, Vaughn has a long history of involvement with youth work. He passionately believes that young people have much to offer if given a chance. For many years, he was a stalwart trustee of the Didcot Train Youth Project and has led youth groups since 1993.
Together with Sarah, he is determined to make a difference in the lives of isolated teenagers and young adults. He supports the work of Where The Fruit Is to provide a nurturing community along with purposeful work and training opportunities. Through his engineering consultancy, he has provided work experiences for several young people and mentored many others.
He relishes grandparenthood and really knows how to play.
Sarah Walker
Trainer
About Sarah...
When not out in the woods, Sarah can be found on her bike – happily exchanging the gradients of her native Dartmoor for the sedate Oxfordshire countryside (and village pubs!), hammock-camping or volunteering with her local scout group – i.e. somewhere in the great outdoors!
Sarah is a freelance Forest School Leader, a National Forest School Association (FSA) Recognised Provider and an FSA Endorsed Trainer, a qualified First Aid Instructor and teacher (PGCE-international), an experienced teacher-trainer and a published author.
Bilingual in English and Spanish, Sarah spent over 15 years teaching and teacher-training in British international schools before returning to the UK in 2012 when she discovered Forest School. Sarah started helping out at her local Forest School and, since 2017 has worked full-time as a qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader for MyForestSchool. Sarah has set up and run long-term Forest School programmes in various Oxfordshire schools and now trains with Sarah Lawfull at Where the Fruit Is. She mentors Forest School leaders and plays a vital role in the Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire FSA affiliated group.
Brendan Goswell
Trainer
About Brendan...
Brendan is a qualified Forest School Leader, Mountain Leader, rock climbing instructor, and mountain bike instructor. He is also qualified to coach paddleboarding, kayaking, and canoeing and has worked as ‘safety and rescue’ for triathlons and big swims. His love of the outdoors and insatiable appetite for learning and teaching are reflected in his list of accreditations, the most recent of which, APIOL, he achieved during lockdown.
We are delighted to be working with Brendan to deliver industry-relevant First Aid training.
Brendan has been running Outdoor Adventure First Aid, along with First Aid for Foresters, Paediatric, and First Aid at Work training, for over 15 years; he loves teaching First Aid to Scouts and DofE students.
He worked in Outdoor Adventure centres and as a freelance outdoor instructor before joining the Riverside team in Oxford as a specialist outdoor instructor, working with disadvantaged young people. He brings a depth of knowledge about trauma-informed practice and working in and through nature with various client groups. Brendan is studying to gain a degree in youth and social care.
Mhairi MacGillivray-Edwards
Trainer
About Mhairi...
Mhairi is a passionate gardener, a Scout leader, a mean whittler and a maker. She runs her own Oak Leaf Forest School on the Berkshire Downs and she has been instrumental in the setting up of the Oxon, Bucks, Berks Forest Schools Association (OBBFSA) affiliated group, of which she is now chair.
One of the country’s most experienced Forest School leaders, Mhairi was the second leader trained in Oxfordshire and a founder member of the Oxfordshire Forest School Project. Over a pot of the most revolting nettle soup Sarah had ever tasted, Mhairi first introduced Sarah Lawfull to the joys of Forest School.
Mhairi brings a wealth of experience to our team. For many years, she has led full-time, year-long Forest School programmes in early years settings, primary schools, home education groups, and family Forest Schools. She leads programmes for young autistic teenagers and has led the development of Forest Kindergarten training for us in Oxfordshire. Mhairi has trained and mentored countless others to become Forest School Leaders. Her insights into setting up and running a business are invaluable to trainees.
An environmental science degree, followed by primary and ecological education experiences, has fuelled her passion for teaching about sustainability, the climate emergency, and promoting biodiversity. Her expertise in raising environmentally conscious teenagers in a consumer culture is also hugely valuable.
Dr Sara Collins
Trainer
About Sara...
While Sara describes herself as a biologist, a Forest School leader, and an expert den builder, her qualifications, talents, and passions are many. She loves toads, makes excellent cakes, and deftly feeds fabric under the needle of her sewing machine when not wielding a power tool in her garden.
Her PhD in biological controls of forest pests and passion for building clay ovens set her up for a career in environmental education, which requires tenacity, an affinity with mud, and long days in the woods.
Parenthood and the Forest School approach tempted her away from business management and commercial forestry. Since 2010, she has been Portsmouth’s ‘Eco-Urban Ranger’, committed to bringing together urban children and nature.
Sara was the Deputy Chair of the Forest School Association for several years and is now the campaign lead for the Nature Premium campaign. Most of her week is spent advocating for children and nature.
Chris Wishart
Internal Quality Assurer
About Chris...
Chris has a background in Conservation and habitat management, and his experiences of working in urban green spaces ignited a passion for working with people that has led him to be involved in the Forest School movement for over 20 years. He loves getting out walking in the hills of Shropshire and beyond, and is endlessly fascinated by the plants and animals that he comes across.
Chris has delivered Forest School programmes to children and adults in Birmingham and the Black Country for many years and is a member of the Forest School Association Endorsed Trainers group. Chris also serves as an Internal Quality Assurer for several trainers, including us. This means he conducts checks and balances on our portfolio assessments, ensuring we support our learners with effective feedback and make informed assessment decisions.
Victoria Mew
Trainer
About Victoria...
Victoria has dedicated her career to bringing nature connections to children and adults from local community projects in Sussex through her company, Cultivating Curiosity. Her workshops are in demand at conferences, and she provides training locally, nationally and internationally.
In 2020, she launched Red Squirrel Resources, an incredible online library of over 250 accessible video resources, to support Forest School practitioners; this resource is reaching people worldwide. Having studied with Jon Young in the US, Victoria brought the 8-shields approach to the UK in 2010. This continues to be an essential part of her life.
We love that Victoria supports our Forest School training with her engaging online resources. Her deep knowledge of the natural world and playful approach to learning make her a valuable member of our training team.