Situated in a beautiful, secure setting in North Somerset, on the outskirts of Bristol, Homeland is rooted in regenerative therapeutic practice. We centre creativity, care, and community at our heart, understanding that these elements offer people and the natural world transformational experiences.
Homeland benefits from a large patchwork canvas of indoor and outdoor areas including a wildflower meadow, an orchard, a therapeutic allotment to grow edible and non-edible plants, shelters and creative workshop space. Over the coming years, we hope to build a therapeutic art studio and pottery.
Our vision for Homeland is that it becomes a sustainable, successful, accessible, and socially-conscious community asset that provides a range of services to support the diverse needs of local people and our environment. We seek to nurture a stronger real-life social network.
“There is no need to present a persona in this non-human world of green, brown and blue.”
Jenny Grut, The Healing Fields, 2002.
Our Team
The custodians of Homeland are Jess and Sam Baum. Since 2021, they have been caretaking the site through a slow process of observation, change and growth to try to understand what is needed by the land and the surrounding community, to best serve the wellbeing of nature and people.
Jess Baum is an Art Psychotherapist, creative health practitioner, and artist-maker. She has worked creatively and holistically with adults, families, children and young people, and with organisations, across a variety of settings for over 25 years. These include in-patient NHS mental health care, perinatal health care, community settings, galleries and museums, outdoors, and in mainstream and special education. She specialises in working with clay. Jess is registered with the Health & Care Professions Council and is a member of the British Association of Art Therapists.
Sam Baum is a designer, musician, and parent and child dance movement facilitator. He has worked as a creative practitioner with community groups, in schools and in higher education, and with a diverse range of organisations and businesses for over two decades. He is a musical director of a much-loved and long-established community samba band in Bristol, where he helps to bring joy and rhythm to the city through the beat of drums.
We are lucky to have a wonderful team of volunteers who come from across the locality to support our horticultural efforts here at Homeland. Volunteering helps to nurture a happier, healthier and stronger community, where everyone is valued, learns new skills, and experiences joyful social, nature and creative connection.
D’hazy is our head gardener. She likes building curvy walls, leaving nettles be, and makes delicious sweet treats to share with us here at Homeland.