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 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 is a designer, musician, and facilitator working across creativity, movement, nature connection, and community. For over two decades he has worked with community groups, schools, higher education, and a diverse range of organisations and businesses. He is Site Manager at The Homeland Project and leads men’s groups and nature connection experiences across Bristol, drawing on his training in nature-based practice. As musical director of a much-loved community samba band, he helps bring joy and rhythm to the city through the beat of drums.
Linsey is a Person-Centred Dance Movement Psychotherapist, creative clinical supervisor, educator and facilitator. She has worked creatively and holistically with children, young people and adults across a wide range of settings for over 20 years. These include adult mental health, addiction services, learning disabilities, CAMHS, hospice care, mainstream and specialist education, early years and private practice. Linsey has a passion for embodied, creative approaches that nurture both personal and professional growth, bringing this experience to her role as Director of The Homeland Project, where she supports the integration of nature into wellbeing, learning and development.
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.