Caroline set up The Hive in 2014 when she couldn’t find outdoor activities for her son that were truly modern and imaginative. As an experienced education professional, primary school Governor and Fellow of the RSA, she recognised that the growing disconnect between “nature skills” and “21st century skills” wasn't serving children well.
Caroline wanted a space where children and teens could get their hands dirty, learn through doing and collaborate through ambitious projects - in nature and with technology! 10 years on, The Hive's innovative curriculum still very much focuses on creativity, project-based learning, collaboration and problem-solving to stretch the realm of “outdoor education”. It has also become one of London's most established accredited provider of Forest School Training.
Lauren has a background in theatre and filmmaking with children and young adults, and many years of experience of leading the delivery of immersive and creative workshops with young people.
Lauren is also passionate about the outdoors and creative ways to engage children in nature. She first joined The Hive in 2019 as a facilitator and never left:)
At The Hive, Lauren leads on all our recruitment and oversees our training programmes. She's the best at discovering and onboarding talented facilitators, supporting them to deliver the most amazing outdoor missions for children.
Lauren also oversees the smooth running of our Forest School training courses, supporting trainees through their training journey, alongside our Lead Trainers.
Gina trained as an actor and has a background in teaching Drama and Music Theatre to children aged 3-18. She previously worked for The Hive as a holiday camp facilitator and was keen to become more of a permanent member of the team, so joined our small HQ in 2021.
As the Curriculum Coordinator, Gina leads on all the concept and creative development for Hive missions. This means coming up with the most exciting stories, developing brilliant "weird and wonderful" ideas for activities, and bringing our missions to life through mission writing. As we deliver more and more school missions, Gina also oversees content development for our school workshops.
Gina loves nature and encouraging young people to learn from (and have fun!) being in the great outdoors.
Jodie has a background in TV and film editing, as well as a lot of experience in finance and logistics. After honing her skills in the construction sector, she decided to follow her passion for the outdoors and joined The Hive in 2022.
As the Logistics Coordinator, Jodie is responsible for making sure all the props, resources and kit we use for Hive missions and Forest School training are the best they can be. From tracking down owl pellets for an experiment to sourcing just the right hazel for catapult making or locating a unique artefact for a new mission, Jodie is always on the lookout!
Jodie loves the outdoors and hiking, recently completing the three peaks challenge in Wales, Scotland, and the Lake District.
Sarah has been a Forest School leader since 2008 and trained with Bridgwater College. She is also a qualified Early Years practitioner and 14+ tutor.
Since 2006, Sarah has worked at Kent County Council's flagship Country Park delivering Forest School and environmental education sessions to over 3,000 children annually and training teachers and school support staff in Level 1 and 3 Forest School.
Sarah has experienced first hand the benefits that Forest School can have on children and young people, and as such is passionate that as many individuals as possible should get to have the Forest School experience. Sarah has a keen interest in Forest School in urban settings and has worked with schools in deprived areas to get their Forest Schools established.
Marlon is a qualified teacher and highly experienced Level 3 Forest School Leader. He also holds an EYTS qualification and has an MA in Education.
Marlon trained in Denmark where he was highly influenced by both Steiner Waldorf and the Udeskole movement. These cemented his love for outdoor learning and providing the inspirational approaches that now form the basis of his teaching.
He has a wide range of teaching experience in settings both in the UK and abroad and in recent years has been establishing and managing outdoor nurseries. He has a particular interest in how the forest school ethos can be incorporated into more urbanised landscapes through innovative thinking and sustainable models.
Azra began running outdoor sessions in 2012 and trained as a Forest School assistant a year later, followed by the Forest School Leader course in 2015. She joined The Hive in 2019 and has been a wonderful Support Trainer, with her kindness, calm and humour.
Alongside The Hive, she facilitates Forest School sessions for nursery groups, secondary schools and primary ages in South London woodlands. Azra has also worked in inner city Adventure Playgrounds, a movement at the forefront of child led, risky play, and has experience supporting families in early years learning at Children's Centres where she established Forest School sessions for families. She was part of a team that set up a flagship Natural Thinkers setting and has been active in several community initiatives.
The Hive works with a wide range of expert facilitators. Some have been with us since we started. Others joined us more recently. Some work with us across several missions. Others bring specialist skills to specific missions.
Their background is hugely varied - they may be artists, film-makers, teachers, actors, architects, botanists, herbalists, bushcraft experts, forest school practitioners, kite makers, woodworkers, bee keepers, etc. - but a passion for sharing their skills and expertise with children is common to all of them.
All our facilitators are DBS checked and experienced in running workshops for children. All camps also include several First Aiders, with a mix of outdoor and paediatric first aid experience.
Nelly is Caroline's dog!
She joined The Hive in 2022 and is a wonderfully bouncy and enthusiastic addition to the team:)
