It’s nine months since we announced our partnership with Wild Soul Woods CIC so we thought we would share the open letter we received from them this week…
Spring 2025
Dear Resolve,
This letter is a huge, heartfelt thank you from all of us at Wild Soul Woods CIC.
Your financial contribution during 2024/2025 enabled us to make a profound difference to a great number of families and young people, and we’re incredibly grateful for your support.
The time and energy we have been investing in our families and young people mean that we have not fulfilled the agreement to regularly update you with content. Yet, you have been fully supportive and understanding, and allowed us to focus on the needs of those individuals, rather than pushing us for words to promote the good work you are doing in the Community.
You have supported us from a genuine, heartfelt desire to see good things happen, rather than a token gesture for ‘likes’ and ‘shares’, which is so often the case now. I am proud of our association with a Company that operates like this.
I am also personally beyond grateful!
It is a rare thing to receive ‘unrestricted’ funding, which is the type of financial support that is given freely with few strings attached. Without the annual insurance that you supported us with at the beginning of the year, we would have been unable to do ANY of the following…
Because of you, we were able to run some incredible programmes that have brought isolated young people together, provided support for parents and carers, and created special moments of connection and hope for families and young people. Last summer, our Community Days at Tilgate were a massive success, giving families the chance to connect, play, and enjoy nature together. Seeing young people exploring the natural environment, parents relaxing, and people from a variety of communities coming together with laughter and joy was exactly what we hoped for—and it wouldn’t have been possible without your support.
Your funding has helped us reach young people who are in real need of connection and support. Through Sisterwood, we’ve been able to create a safe, welcoming space for Neurodivergent teenage girls who might otherwise feel isolated. We’ve helped them build confidence, friendships, and a sense of belonging. The young women from the first ‘Sisterwood’ programme we ran have gone on to form a friendship group, meet outside of Sisterwood and to progress to further support – allowing them to plug into new communities as a result.
We created The Orchard, a group for teens who need access to social opportunities, but with the support of facilitators who make sure they feel heard, supported, and valued. We have been able to use our therapeutic strategies, modelling for families positive ways to support connection and engagement. We have been able to offer a wide variety of activities so that everyone can find something – including gardening, cooking & baking, sports, board games, arts & crafts, STEM projects… the list goes on!
Our Pioneer Project has been making a real difference in the new Woodland site we are developing, offering a low demand and beautiful space for teens and their parents to share stories around the campfire, supporting each other as they grow in confidence. They have been invited to learn new skills and work together, while finding in Wild Soul Woods a space they are free to just ‘be’ – complete acceptance – a rare thing for young people at the moment.
But beyond allowing us to deliver specific projects, your support has given us something even more valuable—the freedom to try, to experiment, and even to fail. Because of your initial faith in us, we’ve been able to trial different groups, explore new ideas, and figure out where our strengths lie and how we can improve. Most of all, to work out who needs our support most. That flexibility has been invaluable in shaping our work and making sure we’re truly meeting the needs of the community we serve.
Your support has also allowed us to trial delivery of our Wild & Safe training to both volunteers and professionals, equipping them with the skills and confidence to make a difference to teens who have experienced huge difficulty navigating the mainstream educational offer that isn’t working for so many.
All of the professionals who engaged in our training have gone on to volunteer with us, and some have even joined our team as employees! Seeing people explore different ways of doing things, and to be privileged enough to benefit from THEIR specialism and wisdom has been truly inspiring, and it’s all thanks to your belief in what we do.
Out of all of this activity, a fabulous, kind and supportive volunteer community has grown – with parents, parent carers and young people finding connection in the simple joy of supporting others. I have lost count of the parents who have shared tears of relief at finding and joining our community.
Every smile, every new friendship, every moment of connection—you helped make that happen. Thank you for believing in our mission and for helping us bring people together in such a meaningful way.
We’re excited about the future and hope to continue working with you and other local organisations to create more opportunities for connection and community, and above all – the most powerful gift we have shared with our families – HOPE!
With heartfelt gratitude,
Tori Duggan & Julie Tozer
Founders & Directors
Wild Soul Woods CIC