Meet the Team

Mandy’s favourite thing is being with children in the outdoors.  Having three children of her own (in their teens and twenties), she has seen how spending time outside is vital for their development and sense of well-being.

Mandy originally worked in theatre-in-education, using this as an opportunity to bring environmental education to children. Since then, she has delivered environmental education training courses nationally.

When not at Growing Wild, Mandy is a professional coach and facilitator. She enjoys gardening, walking, reading, dancing and amateur dramatics.

After completing and qualifying with the NNEB, Hannah worked as a private nanny at a ski resort in France and also for Thomson Holidays running Kids’ Clubs.

After returning to the UK she worked as a live-in nanny and also a daily nanny for many years. She loves being outdoors and think children learn best through playing in a natural environment with kindness and fun. They learn great things.

She enjoys family time, running, walking the dog, seeing friends and travelling.

Beth has a Level 3 in Childcare and spent 3 years in different educational settings from birth to 8 years. She then worked at Wigfield farm as an activity worker for 3 years hosting lots of children’s parties, school visits and family events. This makes her invaluable when teaching the children about the animals.  She enjoys spending time outdoors especially at the beach with family and friends. She loves taking her little godson outside to explore nature and find insects.

Katharine enjoys spending time in the outdoors with her 5 year old son. They love splashing in puddles, finding bugs, digging in dirt and looking at wildlife.  They also like to spend time at the beach and swimming.

Katharine has a degree in Playwork and a Level 3 in Childcare and Education and has taken part in many placements in the community, youth settings, nurseries and alongside childminders. During her degree Katharine realised that children benefit from a different approach, an approach that includes risk and challenge and the freedom to play and learn in their own way. She used these skills while working at an after school club to implement working with tools and ensuring children chose their own play.

Nicola is a qualified school teacher who has always had a particular interest in early years and learning through play and children’s own interests. She has worked with different ages of children whilst in her teaching post and through doing some supply work at various schools in Barnsley. Nicola believes all children should have the opportunity to play, explore and learn from nature and the great outdoors, thus loving the whole ethos that Growing Wild Nursery has to offer.

Nicola left teaching and became a full time mum after having her first child, throughly enjoying the time shared together. Taking a keen interest in her children’s education, she later became a parent Governor at her children’s school. Nicola then started her Growing Wild adventure by joining the team to run the Playgroup sessions after having so much fun attending them with her own daughter.

In her spare time, Nicola loves baking, reading, walking her dog, being outdoors and exploring new places with her family.

Vicky’s passion for working with children began when completing a Nursery Nurse (NNEB) course which enabled her to travel and work worldwide as a nanny. She returned to education and embarked on a degree in Playwork which took her to South Africa and working with children in poverty.

Vicky went on to work within a local authority to support the setting up of out of school clubs which then developed into delivering training in the community around the importance of play.

When taking a break to bring up her 3 ‘cheeky’ children she became involved in her community by supporting the local pre-school and becoming a school governor. She then moved into a new role within Further & Higher education to support degree students on their placements within childcare settings. Vicky enjoys being outdoors with her ‘crazy’ dog Charlie, running up hills and having fun in the mud!

Jenni is a qualified primary school teacher but has always been interested in early years and learning through play. She is a big lover of the outdoors, whether playing out in the garden, walking the dog in the Peak District or spending time at the coast with family she is happiest when outside exploring! She enjoys being creative with arts and crafts and looks forward to combining this passion with objects from the natural world at Growing Wild Outdoor Nursery.

Marybeth left college with a Level 2 and Level 3 in childcare and education and has taken part in many placements in the Barnsley area including primary schools and nurseries. She has recently qualified from university with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours Degree in Early years with a 2:1.

She has always wanted to work with children to help them achieve and learn to the best of their ability. She believes children learn best through risk and challenge opportunities and should be provided with freedom of choice to learn and develop in their own way. In her spare time she loves exploring the outdoors, going on long walks, camping, reading and going to the coast. She enjoys exploring natural materials in the outdoors and using them in activities at the nursery.

Jane started her professional life as a landscape architect, working as a community designer on environmental projects in Birmingham. Realising that improving school and nursery grounds was the area that interested her most, she then trained and worked as a primary school teacher, gaining a real insight into how schools function. As well as Growing Wild, Jane now works part time as an education consultant and designer with schools and nursery settings to help bring about effective play and learning outdoors.

Having two boys of her own and a very messy garden where they have had lots of fun over the years, Jane is convinced of how valuable it is in this age of organised activities and electronic entertainment to let children discover the outdoor environment for themselves in a free, creative and open-ended way.

In her spare time, Jane loves walking, camping, gardening, baking cakes, going to pubs, dressing up and dancing.

Carla has a growing passion for nature, learning outdoors and the development of children during the fundamental stages between 2-5 years. She is currently working towards her bachelor’s degree in early childhood studies with the hope to continue her study further into Developmental Psychology. She is also trained by the Wildlife Trust as a forest school leader and thoroughly enjoys incorporating all elements of nature and the outdoors into her practice.

Carla loves to travel with her two children, exploring the world and experiencing different cultures as well as camping and walking with her three dogs, Olive, Willow and Ruby.

As a mum of two and an outdoor practitioner, she believes children should be given the time, space and respect to play and explore the world around them in their own way and at their own pace.

Michelle has nineteen years’ experience as a primary teacher, working across all age ranges. She also enjoys cooking and art club with the children. She has been doing supply at Growing Wild along-side her job at Butterwick Primary in Boston, but has recently given up this post to join our SEND team full-time at Growing Wild. As well as spending time with her own family (Alfie her youngest came to Growing Wild before starting school), she is an avid Barnsley FC fan and season-ticket holder. Michelle loves everything Disney!