04/07/2026
🐻 A Heartfelt Goodbye from Wild Bears 🐻
After a great deal of thought, emotion, and soul-searching, I have made the incredibly difficult decision to step back from running Wild Bears at the end of this academic year and we will be closing our gates.
Even writing those words brings tears to my eyes.
For the last five years, Wild Bears has been so much more than a playgroup. It has been my passion, my purpose, my identity, and in many ways, my second baby. It has shaped such a huge part of my life, and saying goodbye is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.
Many people have asked why, and I feel I owe our wonderful community an honest answer.
The reality is that the economic climate has affected us significantly. Attendance numbers have gradually reduced, cancellations have become more frequent, and unfortunately this has led to us having to cancel sessions more often than we ever wanted to. Every cancellation has weighed heavily on me because I know how much our loyal families value these sessions, but without enough numbers, they simply aren't financially viable to run and it's starting to cost me, my personal finances to keep open, which as we all know, life is already a struggle at the moment.
As a community group, we have always relied heavily on funding to help us operate and grow. Funding applications require huge amounts of time and work behind the scenes, with no guarantee of success. Despite our best efforts, we haven't had the capacity to complete as many applications as we would have liked, nor the success needed to continue developing the setting and expanding what we could offer.
Many of you also know that my wonderful eight-year-old daughter is AuDHD. As she grows, so do her needs, and I have come to realise that she needs more of me than I am currently able to give whilst trying to juggle everything else. I want to be fully present for her without feeling constantly stretched, exhausted, and as though I am spinning too many plates at once. She deserves a fully engaged Mummy.
Alongside running Wild Bears, I work as a Teaching Assistant and Forest School Leader within schools, as well as subcontracting for other outdoor and community groups. With the current financial pressures facing so many families, I need the security of a reliable and regular income, and for the sake of my family, that work now has to take priority.
There is also a personal truth I have had to accept. I am full of ideas, passion, creativity, and enthusiasm, but I am probably not the best person to run a successful business. The vision has never been the problem. The business acumen, administration, paperwork, funding applications, and endless behind-the-scenes tasks have always been the challenge.
As someone with ADHD, I have spent five years trying to give myself fully to Wild Bears, my neurodivergent family, my work in schools, and various community projects. Somewhere along the way, I became burnt out. Instead of feeling fulfilled, I found myself feeling as though I was underachieving in every area of my life, and that feeling has been incredibly difficult because I have always been someone who wants to give 100% to everything and everyone.
But whilst this chapter is ending, what a chapter it has been.
Wild Bears began during COVID, at a time when outdoor spaces became one of the few places where people could safely connect as our government allowed those to open first. What started as a little idea became a social lifeline for so many families.
Over the years, together we have:
🍃 Supported families through isolation and uncertainty.
🍃 Helped parents struggling with anxiety rebuild confidence before returning to work.
🍃 Created friendships, support networks, and a sense of belonging.
🍃 Provided volunteering opportunities that brought people together and strengthened our community.
🍃 Delivered thousands of outdoor learning experiences for local children and families.
🍃 Supported schools with Forest School provision.
🍃 Hosted fully funded holiday and weekend sessions.
🍃 Run bumps-to-baby groups and parental support sessions.
🍃 Created unforgettable birthday parties, particularly for children who found traditional indoor parties overwhelming.
🍃 Supported our home education community through regular outdoor learning opportunities.
Most importantly, we have watched children grow.
Not just in height or age, but in confidence, communication, motor skills, friendships, resilience, and happiness.
We have watched nervous children become confident explorers. We have celebrated first words, first friendships, muddy adventures, campfire cooking, songs, dances, crafts, discoveries, laughter, and yes, even those tears at the end of sessions when nobody wanted the fun to stop.
Those memories will stay with me forever.
As this journey comes to an end, I feel incredibly emotional, but also overwhelmed with gratitude. The trust you placed in us to care for your children, the kind words, the encouragement, the feedback, and the support you have shown over the last five years has meant more than I could ever put into words.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Thank you for believing in Wild Bears.
Thank you for turning up week after week.
Thank you for recommending us to friends.
Thank you for supporting our events, fundraising efforts, and crazy ideas.
Thank you for allowing us to be part of your family's story.
We simply would not have made it to five years without you.
Finally, and most importantly, I need to thank the people who made Wild Bears possible in the first place: my family and our incredible volunteers.
Wild Bears may have started as my idea, but it only became what it was because of the people who stood beside me and helped bring it to life.
The hours they gave, the hard work, the energy, the patience, the encouragement, and the love they poured into this project can never truly be measured. Many of them have been every bit as passionate as I have.
It takes a special kind of person to give up their time for free simply to help others smile.
So please join me in saying a huge thank you to every single Wild Bears volunteer, past and present.
You are the true Wild Bears heroes. 👏🐻
And finally, a few words from me.
Five years ago, I had a little idea and a little dream.
It never became as big as I once imagined it might. It never grew into the fully sustainable organisation I hoped it would become.
But it mattered.
We mattered.
We made a difference.
We created memories.
We helped people.
We built community.
And for that, I will always be proud.
I haven't fallen out of love with Wild Bears. If anything, I still love it as much as I ever have. If circumstances were different, if there was a way to make it financially sustainable and secure, I would happily continue.
But right now, I need to put myself and my family first.
So with a very heavy heart, this is goodbye.
Or perhaps... goodbye for now.
Because who knows what the future might hold.
Thank you for five unforgettable years.
Over and out, my beautiful Bears. 🐻❤️
If you would.love to drop a comment or photo below to share your personal memories of our sessions, I would love that ❤️🐻
