Yew Tree Pilgrimage for Human & Habitat Health

** UPDATE - we reached the target - now let’s keep going! **
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A walking Pilgrimage across Britain to gather stories of yews, and raise money for the Cambrian Wildwood habitat restoration project

Back in 2019, when she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer,  Lindsay learned that chemotherapy is derived from the yew tree. She resolved then to make a pilgrimage to meet and thank the great yews of this land when her body was well enough. From that point on a story of fear was transformed into one of curiosity and wonder, especially when she learned more about the yew’s astonishing capacity for regeneration and renewal.

How might the healing of our bodies be linked with the healing of the land? How might the radical imagination help reframe narratives around sickness and fear? And how might humans come back into right relationship with each other and the living Earth?

These are some of the questions Lindsay will be exploring during a walking pilgrimage across Britain, gathering stories of ancient yew trees and raising funds for the brilliant forest restoration project, Coetir Anian - the Cambrian Wildwood. It will be a journey to give thanks to this extraordinary tree, and also to hear from others how the yew has supported them with their journeys with cancer.

With the current ecological crisis half of the world’s forests are gone, and in the UK trees now cover just 13% of the land. At the same time, people are in ever more need of connection with the natural world, with science showing both benefits to physical and mental health. The Cambrian Wildwood is a pioneering habitat restoration project which seeks to restore the connection between people and wild nature, for the benefit of humans and the planet.

Run by the registered charity, the Wales Wild Land Foundation, Cambrian Wildwood is located in Bwlch Corog in the Cambrian Mountains. The project is currently restoring ecologically degraded land to support habitats connecting woodlands and heathlands, planting thousands of trees and restoring peatland and bog. At the same time they are offering programmes to restore humans’ relationship with wild nature, working with primary school children, youth camps for vulnerable teenagers, and providing nature immersion sessions for vulnerable adults and people recovering from addiction.

To find out more about the Cambrian Wildwood visit www.cambrianwildwood.org

And to keep up to date with the Yew Tree Pilgrimage follow @knowingmeknowingyew on Instagram or @lindsay.alderton on Facebook

Every donation hugely appreciated - thank you!