ABOUT US

HYDREF COLLECTIVE is a community of nature-based educators, ancestral skills practitioners and creatives based in West Wales.

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The Welsh word "Hydref" comes from the Middle Welsh hyð (“stag”) and bref (“call”), referring to the time of year when Deer would be heard bellowing throughout the forests of Cymru. 

 

It's used in modern Welsh to refer to the season of Autumn, and also to the month of October, but likely evolved from a Brythonic Celtic root that predates the Romans and their calendar of months. The word offers insight into the minds of Ancient Britons, who lived their lives in rhythm with the land, seasons, and wild animals.

 

This is something that resonates deeply with us, as it was the "call of the wild", our love for the natural world, living seasonally and our work with deer that brought us together.​

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OUR VISION​:​

To help bridge the divide between humans and the animate landscape;

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...to honour and give voice to the animals, plants, trees, winds, and waters that have shaped our culture and way of life over thousands of years. 

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We provide immersive experiences and outdoor education sessions that draw from diverse traditions including ancestral skills, ecology, body work and folk magic.

 

We also serve as a platform for local artists who seek to facilitate connection with nature through craft, poetry, prose, and visual media.

 

We are passionate about promoting sustainable living and cultivating profound connection with the natural world.