Our tutors are highly skilled practitioners, each with a wealth of knowledge and experience in their field. They are dedicated to delivering engaging, high-quality sessions that inspire creativity and connection. Alongside our in-house expertise, we collaborate with trusted partners across wellbeing, heritage crafts, and local enterprise, enabling us to design and deliver tailored experiences for organisations of all sizes. This combination of skills and partnerships ensures a dynamic and professional approach to every event.
Vicky Goode is an accredited instructor with both British Nordic Walking and Nordic Walking UK. Vicky also holds the YMCA Level 2 Fitness Instructor award. Having nordic walked for many years in SE London, Vicky qualified as an instructor when she moved to leafy Surrey.
“I am passionate about the many benefits that Nordic Walking can offer. It certainly has improved my life immensely both physically and mentally, and I want to share that feeling with everyone!”
Nordic Walking is a dynamic, full-body fitness activity that combines walking with specially designed poles to engage the upper and lower body simultaneously. It’s easy to learn, gentle on the joints, and can be enjoyed by people of all fitness levels.
Michaela Afford is an experienced Advanced Yoga Teacher and Pilates Instructor, dedicated to helping people move with strength, balance, and ease. With a background in both dynamic and restorative practices, she also teaches breath work and meditation, bringing a mindful, inclusive approach to wellbeing. Michaela supports her clients through physical adjustments, unlocking tension, and improving strength, flexibility, and posture, ensuring each practice is safe, effective, and tailored to individual needs. Alongside her teaching, she works in the field of mental health, enriching her sessions with a deeper awareness of how movement, breath, and mindfulness can support both emotional and physical health.
After years in the fast-paced world of BBC News, Sue discovered Qigong as a quiet refuge – a way to slow down, breathe more deeply, and reconnect with her body and the natural world. Now she shares this nourishing practice with others, helping them find their own sense of balance, ease and vitality.
Qigong is a gentle, flowing movement practice rooted in ancient Chinese medicine. In Sue’s hands, it becomes something quietly transformative – a way to soften, ground and attune to the rhythm of the seasons and the wisdom of the body.
Her sessions weave slow movement, breathwork and stillness into an invitation to unwind the nervous system, release tension and come home to yourself.
Whether you’re feeling tired, wired, curious or simply in need of a new kind of stillness, Sue holds space to breathe, move and restore – one mindful moment at a time.
Through Surrey Hills Qigong, she offers regular classes and retreats in the Surrey Hills and collaborates with other practitioners to create rich, sensory experiences – all with the intention of helping people live well for longer.
Come and experience the quiet magic of Qigong for yourself – and feel how different life can be when you move through it with softness and space.
Mind Body and Bowls is built with love and offers healing and Spiritual Journeys. Founded by Joann Paine and her husband, Mind Body & Bowls began with one intention in mind: to offer healing and energy to others.
“I have fallen in love with Sound Healing and Meditation. In our Mind Body and Bowls Spiritual Cabin in West Horsley, we offer a range of services including Sound Bowls, Gong Baths, and Shamanic Drumming Journeys, ceremonial fires, and Cacao ceremonies.”
The aim for Mind Body & Bowls is to facilitate deep healing within and alignment of the mind, body, and spirit. If you feel ready for some relaxation or need to switch off, then this is the experience for you.
Joann, offers group Sound Baths with the deep vibrations of the Gong. The long, beautiful songs of the Tibetan bowls. The heart beats of the shamanic Drums.
Harmony in Nature specialises in nature immersion ‘Forest Bathing’ events, bringing ways to connect with the peace and restorative powers of wandering in woodland for overall wellbeing.
Forest bathing was developed in the 1980s by multiple medical schools in Japan, linking to traditional practices, in response to high levels of chronic stress and illness in major urban centres. The practice has evolved to combine gentle walking with sensory activities, conscious breathing, mindfulness, and meditation, in a woodland or park.
We work closely with guides Katie & Joanna who offer nature immersion to our private groups.
You will learn how nature influences us to feel better, and take away ideas to use for yourself, especially in times of stress. A long list of potential well-being benefits comes about by resetting our bodies and minds, which boosts functioning throughout our systems. The benefits are backed by four decades of Japanese research, and more recently from countries across the globe, including UK studies. Harmony in Nature has participated in four of these.
Lizzy Maskey, has vast knowledge of bushcraft and the outdoors. Ever since she was a child fascinated with fire and foraging, bushcraft has been her way of life. Since gaining her IOL Bushcraft Competency certificate, and becoming a full-time instructor in 2014 Lizzy has traversed the globe honing her skills and testing herself in the wilderness, from paddling across Scotland in a packraft to leading expeditions in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Thailand and Peru, Lizzy has gathered a wealth of experience. She’s cycled 9000km from London to Kazakhstan unsupported and done tracking assessments in South Africa and the UK.
Lizzy spends the majority of her time sharing her passion for the outdoors. By teaching skills including using knives to create things from ‘bits of wood’, collecting foraged food to create wonderful meals, and lighting warming fires to do it all beside. When not teaching, Lizzy is always looking to learn and develop her knowledge and can be found exploring hedgerows, woodland tracks, and muddy puddles across the UK and around the world.
Amanda Weller has been working as an Energy Alchemist since 2005. Initially trained as a
reflexologist, she went on to become an Advanced BodyTalk practitioner, a Quantum-Touch
practitioner and more recently added Rahanni. She is proud to have been awarded the
Trade Mark Surrey Hills an accreditation awarded by Surrey Hills Enterprises.
Her intuitive sessions with clients are mostly remote worldwide. These sessions help people
to rebalance their energies from all perspectives so they experience a “weller state of being”.
She is passionate about sharing the simple, easy things we can do for ourselves that make
such a big difference and enhance how we experience our daily life. This is the focus of
all her workshops.
Ruth Wheeler Wellness
Ruth has a BA Hons Degree in Fine Art and Philosophy, is an experienced Artist and Sculptor, creating sculptures and teaching to a variety of community groups in Surrey for 25 years. She runs Art and Yoga classes, Creative Wood Carving and Pyrography Workshops and Retreats.
AS SEEN ON TV!
Ruth’s pyrography and wood carving work has recently been showcased on Love Your Weekend with Allan Titchmarsh.
Luke Whatley-Bigg
Cinematography Possibilities
Many of the films we have on our website have been created by Luke, helping us promote our workshop and training course experiences to others. We have been working with Luke since 2019. His most recent commission was to film a Wattle Hurdle Online Training Tutorial for the business, the first of its kind, filmed at Norbury Park, Fetcham, Surrey.
Luke is a young entrepreneur, freelance filmmaker. Luke has had footage on BBC countryfile and has also won and been a finalist in several film festivals. He has had many of his photos in magazines and been a finalist in ‘Food Photographer of the Year’ and recently two of his photographs where exhibited through the ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. Luke is passionate about producing cinematic films and creating photographic images.
lorraine ellery matthews
Hedges & Hurdles Ltd.
Lorraine, Co-Director of Hedges & Hurdles, brings extensive senior commercial experience from the scholarly publishing industry to her role as the driving force behind Hedges & Hurdles. She oversees all aspects of the business, including PR, marketing, finance, and operations, ensuring seamless delivery of high-quality experiences.
Since joining the business in 2017, Lorraine has developed into an accomplished Willow Artist, specialising in creating home and garden decorations, sculptures, and practical items such as baskets, obelisks, cloches, and trellises. Her unique strength lies in combining technical expertise with the ability to deliver engaging, adaptable, and memorable workshops and training courses.
Through her collaborative work with wellbeing practitioners, heritage craft specialists, and local landowners who host our experiences, Lorraine now offers a wide range of workshops and events tailored to both individual participants and corporate groups, providing opportunities for team building, creativity, and sustainable learning.
paul matthews
Hedges & Hurdles Ltd.
Paul Matthews, Co-Director of Hedges & Hurdles, is a registered and active member of both the South of England Hedgelaying Society and the National Hedge Laying Society of England & Wales. A highly experienced practitioner, Paul has achieved national recognition in hedgelaying competitions, including the prestigious title of National Champion and the honour of being named Supreme Champion.
In addition to his expertise in traditional crafts, Paul is a skilled horticulturist with extensive knowledge of trees, their management, and their role within the wider landscape. His practical skills extend to hurdle-making and green woodworking, where he applies age-old techniques to create strong, functional, and sustainable products.
Through Hedges & Hurdles, Paul delivers specialist training in hedgelaying, coppicing, green woodworking, hurdle-making, and woodland management, with courses available during the winter season.
debbie whittenbury
Hedges & Hurdles Ltd.
Debbie has been working to support Lorraine and the business since 2017, delivering workshops, mainly for larger groups. Debbie studied textile design at Buckinghamshire School of Art and went on to design fabrics for the fashion industry. Debbie has travelled extensively; her love of design has grown and been influenced by her travels across South East Asia, Africa, and Europe. Debbie has worked for the past 19 years as a Design & Sales Consultant at Domus, an innovative and design-led tile supplier, where she can work on projects as small as a kitchen splashback to a full house refurbishment or creating bespoke interiors for restaurants worldwide.
viking survival & outdoor skills
Hello! We are the Vikings – a fun-loving group of likeminded individuals with a passion for survival, bushcraft & outdoor skills, served up with a Viking theme.
We can offer a variety of lessons and sessions in Bushcraft, Tomahawk & Angel throwing, Archery, Spoon Carving, Knife Safety Skills, Pyrography, Leather Craft, Fire skills, and much more.
As part of the Birtley Woodland Community, Viking Survival has a base in the beautiful woodland space at Birtley House in Bramley, Surrey.
We have strong ties with SWT providing both commercial services such as Hedgelaying across Surrey as well as providing professional Hedgelaying Training Courses to members of their staff and volunteers when required. We also recommend SWT to our customers, those trainees wishing to continue practising skills they have learnt in our seasonal training courses and suggest they sign up to SWT as volunteers to help with the Hedgelaying work being undertaken throughout Surrey.
National Hedgelaying Society
We have for many years been an accredited contractor member of the NHLS. We are active members participating in local charity events and national competitions, offering training and promoting the benefits of hedgelaying. There are more than 30 hedgelaying styles around the country, Paul lays in both South of England and Midland Style and are also accredited members of the South of England Hedgelaying Society.
The National Hedgelaying Society is the only charity dedicated to maintaining the traditional skills of hedgelaying and encouraging the sympathetic management of hedgerows for wildlife and landscape.
The Patron of the Society is HRH King Charles.
Surrey Hills Enterprises
We are active members of Surrey Hills Enterprises and proud recipients of The Trade Mark Surrey Hills. This is an accreditation awarded by Surrey Hills Enterprises and is a Mark of outstanding local provenance, quality and sustainability. The Award promotes the best of what Surrey has to offer. It celebrates those businesses and organisations of high quality that reflect and support the distinct and special nature of the Surrey Hills and who share the values of supporting the local environment.
The organisation is very supportive of SME’s, organisations like ours, and creates many opportunities for other members, organisations of all sizes to meet, share their knowledge and experience, promote their products and services, and collaborate with one another. We have participated in many events and continue to develop multiple exciting collaborations since joining. One of our favourite events is of course the Surrey Hills Wood Fair, held in Cranleigh during September each year.
Surrey County Council
We have a very good working relationship with Surrey County Council (SCC) and their staff who are very supportive of our business aims and objectives. We have held a license for many years to coppice Sweet Chestnut and Hazel from Norbury Park Fetcham, Surrey and also to run our courses on-site. We are also active members of the Norbury Park Community Forum.
Business Hot House
SCC has provided support and directed us to contributory funding programs to help towards our business growth and development. In 2022 we secured 40% funding via the European Regional Development Fund Business Hot House Programme allowing us to commission the development and design of our new website which we hope you find intuitive and interesting.
SAOS (Surrey Artists Open Studios)
Lorraine is a registered artist member for SAOS and subsequently has been able to promote Open Studio events and workshops at her shared outdoor studio in Bramley, Guildford in collaboration with Ruth Wheeler and SAOS. The Summer Open Studios at Birtley Woodland Art Place take place in June and around the studio and lakeside each year and include a selection of local artists displaying their work. This event is also part of the Guildford Open Studio trail.