A cold can under the shade of a tree

Bristol Tree Craft’s mission is simple - to bring people together in nature, through traditional woodcraft. They use heritage craft as a route to engage, connect and rebuild with people, young and old, experiencing systemic challenges. In their own words, “The value of what we do lies in the making – the creativity unleashed, the skills learned, the relationships formed – the end result is a bonus!”

Bristol Beer Factory prides itself on connecting people through world-class beer. We know the power of a face-to-face conversation. Phones down, screens off, right here, right now connection. It’s how communities are built.

When we first met Ben Pitt and Hugh Rose, the co-founders and co-directors of Bristol Tree Craft, we could see that this ethos of connection is embedded in everything they do. From their free-to-access wellbeing activities, to woodwork courses, to corporate away days to their intimate live music gigs. That’s why we signed them up as a BREWED TO GIVE partner and agreed to DONATE beer and equipment at their fundraising events.

Hugh gave us the low down on what they do… “Our activities aim to improve people’s mental health, to build their confidence, to build their connections, to foster a sense of belonging, and to also encourage an appreciation of nature and its importance - because we know that nature is such a key player in in improving mental health.”

They operate out of a repurposed military tent, situated next to cultivated veg beds, wildflowers, sit spots, a firepit, and rotavating pigs at the top of Bridge Farm. Come rain or shine, they run a range of weekly wellbeing sessions that focus on green woodwork (working with fresh waste wood, which otherwise would with rot and release carbon), spoon and bowl carving, willow weaving, and basketry. As much as we want to sign up right now, these sessions are targeted at people who need a bit of extra support. From 16 to 25 year olds who have been through the care system, people experiencing mental ill-health, refugees, adults in recovery and children who live in overcrowded areas with limited access to safe green space.

Hugh goes on to say, ‘We encourage people to explore, play, learn and connect. When we get down to the core of it, we basically provide a safe, welcoming space where people can just be in nature. We encourage people to pick a spot around the farm that they can return to each time they come. They can sit and listen to the birds, look up into the tree canopy, or scratch the pigs. It becomes a safe place of solitude where they can process what is going on in their lives. That in itself, can be a very radical thing to do.”

It may sound like we have entered into some secret Narnia-inspired world, but 65,000 people drive past Bridge Farm every day without even realising it. The cobble stone entrance is just under the M32 flyover and the old stone Farmhouse sits proudly on the edge of the hard shoulder. As Ben says, “From one angle of the hilltop, you're looking out into urban everything, and from the other angle, you're looking out onto unspoiled farmland, open pasture and meadow. So, it's quite magical in that way.”

All of their wellbeing sessions are free-to-access. To help raise the funds to enable this, they run a summer series of live gigs called Stories in the Shavings. As a BREWED TO GIVE partner, we DONATE the BEER and equipment which means that every bar sale directly supports their work. This is all made possible by BBF’s self-imposed 2% tax on our total brewery sales. Every keg, cask or can leaving our yard helps to fund projects and places like this across our city. That’s what we call DRINK WITH PURPOSE.

Just before we head out Hugh chirps up, “We haven't said enough about pigs! THERE ARE PIGS. They are like therapy pigs. You can’t underestimate the benefit of scratching a pig behind the ears”.

Check out their STORIES IN THE SHAVINGS lineup and grab your tickets early as they tend to sell out.

Want to find out what it means to be a BBF Community Partner – head to our BREWED TO GIVE pages.