Founder / Creative Director

Liz

Even though it’s still so new, I feel as if the concept of The Patch has been part of my life for many, many years now.  Academically I have collected a number of degrees, MAs and professional training over the last 25 years, and worked in a wide variety of settings from the HR department of a City corporation, developing creative education plans for looked after children in residential care, designing community theatre for ATG theatre group, and working with the education sector to support teachers to bring creativity back into their classrooms (and to open their classrooms to the concept of outside learning).   

But as I reflect back on all of this, I realise that at the heart of all of these experiences was my desire to connect with others, to play and use creativity for good and powerful things, to go on adventures and take people to places that they didn’t think possible.  My personal experiences have shown me that life is too short for regrets, and I have had the pleasure of meeting some amazing characters on my journey so far, (some of whom are still standing beside me on this adventure today) who have given me the courage to have a go, dream big and not only think outside the box, but climb right out of it too, and spend the day playing under the wide open sky...

Patch Partner - Discovery Sprouts

Bizi

I still find it hard to believe that I started my career as a ballet dancer before hanging up my pointe shoes and beginning my work with children and young people. My work began as a volunteer at Haringey Shed, an inclusive theatre company which specialises in bringing together children of all backgrounds and abilities to create theatre. 15 years later I was still there running the company and working with over 2,000 children a year and with a staff team of inspiring young people who had once been our members! I am still incredibly proud of the work we did there to create a place where everyone was welcomed and included and celebrated for their unique contribution.

I took some time out to live in Peru for 6 months assisting in a school for children and young people with additional needs. It was an eye-opening experience that taught me even more about the value of creativity and connection to nurture others and ourselves. I now have 2 young children of my own whose love for mud encouraged me to retrain and I am now a qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader. I founded Discovery Sprouts as a way to encourage families to share the outdoors with their littlest members and to enjoy being playful together. I have been busy running weekly pre-school sessions, holiday workshops Tree Parties and birthday parties. I also work alongside Woodland Adventure Club running Forest School sessions with local schools.

I’m passionate about inspiring families to enjoy more time outdoors and to reap the benefits for themselves and their children so I am delighted to be running Discovery Sprouts sessions at The Patch. Meeting Liz and visiting the site for the first time was magical and I knew I would love the opportunity to work there. More than the fantastic facilities and inspiring location is the ethos we all share for connection, community and inclusion. I’m looking forward to working alongside the team to deliver some truly extraordinary projects and events.

Patch Partner - Discovery Sprouts

Joley

With a degree in theatre and professional practice, I began my career in theatre and education at the Old Town Hall Theatre in Hemel Hempstead, before setting up Flametree Productions with Liz. We designed and delivered bespoke theatre-based experiences for schools, theatres and families, and built up a wide range of experience working with all ages and abilities to deliver projects designed to provide safe, engaging, exciting places for people to explore and feel inspired.

As an artist I work in all mediums. My passion is building interactive props, making educational objects and dressing spaces, often using recycled materials. I rarely produce identical items, because I enjoy making one-off projects designed for specific experiences. I will be running the Discovery Sprouts sessions with Bizi and will also be adding some JoleyMakes creations around The Patch for you all to enjoy. I look forward to meeting and making with you soon.