Welcome To MESH

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We are a not for profit project that provide outdoor woodland spaces for both past and present British military and emergency service personnel.

We are called Military & Emergency Services Help or MESH for short. We believe that spending time in the great outdoors provides a significant benefit to your wellbeing both mentally and physically. If you have served, or are serving, in our Armed forces, Fire and rescue, Police force or Ambulance Service and would like to spend some time in one of our woodland locations, this is right up your street.

About MESH

Our Milestones

Who can use our facilities?

If you have served, or are currently serving, in the Fire Service, Police Force, Ambulance Service or any of the Military branches then you are a member of our services and therefore welcome to come and join us in one of our woodlands.

What do we do?

We meet once a month to enjoy the great outdoors. We use qualified and experienced Bush craft / Wilderness living skills instructors and we practice bush craft skills and wild camping. Whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned veteran there is always something for you to learn or practice at every meeting. We encourage those who attend to bring along their spouses/partners and, if you have them, the kids too.

What does it cost?

If you are a member or a former member of the Military or the 3 Emergency Services then we will not ask you for any fees, we believe that by serving your country you have already paid in full.

We will occasionally run Bush Craft / Wilderness skills courses to aid with fund raising for our running costs; these will be booked in advance and are separate to our MESH meetings.

If you have a team that would like to book a wilderness course or event please do get in touch.

A typical meeting

Each meeting will have a theme for the weekend such as “percussion fire lighting and wood carving.” Or “foraging skills and Shelter building” The format will consist of meeting up on a Saturday morning with your wilderness instructor and the rest of the crowd, setting up your shelter or tent, for those who are staying for an optional overnight camp. And then gathering under the parachute for a cup of tea and start some guided skills sessions. You are then free to practice your bush craft skills.

The whole day is very fluid and relaxed, you may participate as much or as little as you like.

There is always a camp fire on the go. Feel free to use the fire to cook your food or grab some boiling water from the kettle.

When evening comes nothing feels better than sitting around the fire and having a good old laugh and giggle with like minded people, followed by a night under the stars and a hearty breakfast in the morning.

Facilities at Decoy Woods

We have approximately 10 acres of woodland within Wrington Warren woods, near Bristol airport.
We have our own communal area with a fire pit and seating situated underneath an old military heavy drop parachute to keep the elements off. We also have on site toilet facilities (bring your own loo roll) and parking too.

We do not have any running water or electricity. You will need to bring all that you need for the duration of your stay. Full bottles and fully charged batteries are a must.

Our Instructors

We always aim to have a qualified instructor on hand whenever we meet.  These are all volunteers who have a wealth of experience.  They generously give up their time to help us make some unforgettable outdoor experiences.

 

What do I need to bring?

Food and water

Please bring enough food and water for your visit, we sometimes have a communal evening meal in the form of a BBQ or a range stew, if you would like to join in we may ask for a small donation to cover the costs, please see our Facebook page for details closer to each event.

Clothing

Please dress according to the season, as a minimum we suggest spare warm clothing and waterproof outer layers.(it is Britain after all). Better to have too much warm clothing than not enough.

Camping equipment

You can make yourself as comfortable as you like, for those who want rough it under the stars with a tarp or a hammock or a tent there is ample space to do it all.

You can bring as much camping equipment as you like, car parking is on the site so you will not have very far to carry your equipment.

Knives and tools

We suggest that you bring your own knives and bush craft tools along with you, please be mindful of blade safety when you are on the site, if you are unsure about blade safety please speak to one of the team and we will be happy to offer advice.

First aid kit

Although we have a central trauma medical kit, we advise everyone who attends to carry a small first aid kit for minor scratches and scrapes, antiseptic and Elastoplast as a minimum.

Mobile Phones

The mobile phone signal tends to come and go on the site. Think of it as an opportunity for a bit of a digital detox.

Happiness Grows On Trees

How woodlands boost our well being – Jeremy Leach 

Read Report

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Call us on 07513 877264. Please ask for Jason.