The annual ‘Edge of the Wild’ UK ecopsychology gathering.
This page introduces the background to the ‘Edge of the Wild’ annual ecopsychology gathering, as well as pointing you in the direction of other ecopsychology events across the UK. Unfortunately, due to covid-19, both the July 2020 and July 2021 in-person gatherings at the Green and Away tented conference centre in Worcestershire were cancelled.
The gathering recovered from the pandemic with meetings in 2002 and 2023.
The community took a break from gathering in 2025 which was a fallow year. With great excitement new buds are emerging from soil where old bones are hidden The details of the 2026 event are here – Edge of the Wild 2026
Background to the ‘Edge of the Wild’ event
Through the 1990s ecopsychology had been emerging in the UK, with groups forming and some residential get-togethers at Laurieston Hall in Scotland (read more History). The first ‘gathering’ was subsequently conceived by Mary-Jayne Rust and Dave Key. They came up with the name Edge of the Wild and used the term ‘gathering’ to avoid it turning into a conventional conference. They shared the idea and invited collaborators from around the UK. Initial responders to the call for a gathering were Emma Palmer (then known as Kamalamani) and Nick Totton. So the first ‘Meeting at the Edge of the Wild’ residential ecopsychology gathering happened in 2012 and the organizing team were Mary-Jayne, Dave, Emma and Nick along with Judith Anderson, Caroline Frizell, Margaret Kerr, Suzanne Keys, and Chris Robertson. It was held at the Green & Away tented conference centre in Worcestershire, in the heart of England.
If you would like to read more about that first gathering, you can download the themed edition of ‘Transformations’ (journal of Psychotherapists and Counsellors for Social Responsibility), then edited by Kamalamani (who’s now known as Emma Palmer). And you can read Ned Henderson’s account of the 2017 ‘Fraktured Psyche’ themed event here and reflections from 2017’s artist in residence, Jess Tanner, here.
This event has been running ever since, bringing together social dreaming, invited speakers, a rich workshop programme, fire side ‘open mic’ with Robbie Breadon, dancing and music, river swimming and the chance for the community to come together each year.
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The land where Edge of the Wild happens is a special place.
You can learn all about it here –Bransford and the river Teme