EP51: Green Recovery - Beyond Sexual Trauma

EP51: Green Recovery - Beyond Sexual Trauma

Author: Robin Harford July 5, 2024 Duration: 47:28

In this powerful episode, host Robin Harford welcomes Hannah-May Batley, founder of Hedge School, to discuss her groundbreaking work in plant-based healing and community regeneration.

Hannah-May shares her journey from a post-mining community in South Yorkshire to creating a unique curriculum that addresses trauma, particularly sexual violence against women, through reconnection with nature.

She explains how foraging, wild food, and traditional plant knowledge can be powerful tools for recovery and resilience.

Highlights Include

  • The origins of Hedge School and its impact on post-mining communities
  • How plant-based practices can aid in sexual violence recovery
  • The intersection of class, land rights, and healing
  • Personal insights into nature as an anchor during dark times

This episode offers a sensitive yet hopeful exploration of how returning to our roots - literally and figuratively - can pave the way for profound healing and community restoration.

Don't miss this inspiring conversation about the transformative power of our connection to plants and place.

Rape Crisis Resources

Recommended Books

About Hannah-May Batley

Hannah-May is an unruly educator & the founder of Hedge School, a school that seeks to recover, reconnect & restore our relationship with kith & kin through plant-work, traditional skills & unruly education. 

She would describe herself as a woman deeply interested in the human relationship with plants, minerals & mark-making. Hannah-may teaches foraging, community herbalism, wild food, how to forage & process wild pigments & botanical inks, preservation methods & folk medicine.

She is a writer with work published in several UK journals & magazines & is currently working on her first book. Hannah-May is a member of the Society of Ethnobotanist & Pigments Revealed International. She specialises in working with community trauma, taking plant-work into marginalised communities.

Connect With Hannah-May Batley

Instagram: Woman of the Hedge
Instagram: Hannah-May Batley
Substack: Root and Rock
Website: HedgeSchool.co.uk


Back Matter

Follow me (Robin Harford), for the latest updates and insights around foraging and wild food on Substack, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

If you're ready to uncover the secrets of Britain and Northern Europe's wild plants, grab a copy of my bestselling foraging book. Inside, you'll learn how to safely harvest and thrive on nature's bounty.

Embark on a journey through 48 essential wild plants, all beautifully illustrated in full colour. Rediscover the forgotten wisdom of our ancestors and revive our ancestral heritage. Get your copy today and start your foraging journey!


There's a quiet revolution happening just outside our doors, in the hedgerows, parks, and forgotten corners of the landscape. Eatweeds Podcast: For People Who Love Plants is your guide to that green world, hosted by forager and ethnobotanist Robin Harford. This isn't just a list of what's edible; it's a deep, sensory dive into our relationship with the flora around us. Each episode feels like a walk with a knowledgeable friend, one who points out not just the names of plants, but their stories, their historical uses, and their place in both ancient traditions and modern kitchens. You'll hear conversations that weave together practical foraging tips with cultural anthropology, exploring how plants have sustained human life for millennia as food, medicine, and material. Robin brings on experts and practitioners who share their hands-on experiences, from turning acorns into flour to understanding the medicinal compounds in a common weed. The podcast moves seamlessly from the science of plant identification to the folklore buried in their old names, creating a rich tapestry that connects listeners directly to their environment. It’s for anyone who has ever looked at a plant and wondered, "What's your story?" This series provides those answers, fostering a deeper appreciation for the wild, often overlooked bounty that grows all around us, making every walk an opportunity for discovery and connection.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 58

Eatweeds Podcast: For People Who Love Plants
Podcast Episodes
EP46: Foraging In Italy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:46
This week on the Eatweeds podcast, we travel to the remote, idyllic region of Abruzzo, Italy, a haven for foragers, to meet our special guest, Marta Udalowa. Originally hailing from Poland, Marta has turned her passion f…
EP44: A Year on Wild Food [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:00
My guest for this episode of the Eatweeds podcast is the remarkable Mo' Wilde. An author and experienced foraging teacher, Mo' has done something few could even contemplate: she lived for a full year completely sustained…
EP43: Plants, Enchantment and Wild Words [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:51
Embark on a captivating journey in this episode of the Eatweeds Podcast as host Robin Harford welcomes Zoe Gilbert, a talented fiction author and folklore expert. Immerse yourself in an enchanting conversation about plan…
EP42: Medicinal Forest Gardens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:48
In this episode, I talk with Anne Stobart, who set up the Medicinal Forest Garden Trust, about why we need to grow medicinal and food trees instead of just ornamental trees and shrubs.
EP41: It’s Not Just For You Human [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:54
A short audio essay on sustainable harvesting and ethical wildcrafting. Spoken by Robin Harford from Eatweeds.
EP40: Plants & Colour with Flora Arbuthnott [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:42
In this episode I talk with natural plant dye artist, Flora Arbuthnott. We discuss her fascination with using wild plants to create beautiful art and how the practice of gathering feedsback into nurturing creativity and…
EP39: What's That Plant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:23
Mark Duffell is one of Britain's foremost botanists and ecologists. We discuss... The best way for beginners to learn plant identification. Why the ecology of a plant is important to know before harvesting. Forager or pi…
EP38: Let's Talk Trespass [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:37
Nick Hayes author of the 'Book of Trespass' discusses the reason why Right to Roam is so important to the nation's mental health and wellbeing. Why access to the countryside helps people deepen their connection to nature…