It started with a simple belief: that every child deserves to be the hero of their own story.

In 2014, Inside Out was little more than a shared dream and a lot of late nights. Our founders, Nathan and Laura, didn’t take out big bank loans or look for easy shortcuts. They took on extra jobs to fund their training and built this community from the ground up, one school visit and one campfire at a time.

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We’d spent a decade in education, so we already knew the "stats" - we knew the outdoors built resilience and boosted mental health. But we wanted to go deeper. We wanted to reach the children who didn't feel "brave" enough for the big scouts or school trips. We wanted to give them the space to stop reading other people’s adventure stories and start living their own.

 

The "Bicycle Wheel Teapot" Years

In the beginning, things were beautifully basic. Our first holiday camps in 2017 were run under a 2.5m tarp that regularly flopped over in the wind. Our "kitchen" was a kettle with a piece of a bicycle wheel soldered on for a handle, and our toilets were… well, a wooden box over a very deep hole.

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And we loved every second of it. There’s a specific kind of magic that happens when you strip away the fluff. We found that when things are real and rugged, children don’t just "participate" - they engage. They ownership. They grow.

 

Standing Our Ground

Our journey hasn't always been easy. In 2019, we faced the prospect of losing our woodland home to a local quarry. It was a scary time, but the community rallied. Runcton Holme Parish Council granted us full use of the woods on one condition: that it would always be used to benefit children.

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It’s a promise we still live by every single day.

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By 2020, we had evolved into Inside Out Bushcraft & Adventure. We ditched the luminous green uniforms for the forest greys and blacks we wear today, reflecting a shift towards a more professional, craft-focused approach to the woods.

The Summer We Lived Wild

2020 was a year that shook the world, but it defined our team. To ensure we could safely provide adventures for "high-risk" children during the pandemic, our entire staff moved out of their homes and isolated together in the woods for nine weeks straight.

We lived wild, cooked over fire, and put every skill we teach into practice 24/7. It was during this time that Sam, who joined us just five days before lockdown, proved his mettle - going from our first apprentice to our Bushcraft Manager. That summer remains a shining light for us; it proved that we aren't just "instructors" - we are outdoors people to our core.

 

A New Home at Lakeside

In 2021, thanks to the incredible generosity of Edward and Anna Pope, we moved to Lakeside. At three times the size of our original site, it gave us the room to breathe and expand.

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This was the year Outcrafters was born. What started as a club has become a powerhouse of skill. Today, we see 8-to-14-year-olds wild camping in all weathers, undertaking expeditions to Yorkshire, and forming friendships that we know will last a lifetime. Seeing the journey a child takes—from nervously holding a tool on Monday to leading a group by Friday—is a privilege we never take for granted.

#DecadeOfAdventures

Reaching ten years old was a moment that humbled us all. We wanted every child, family, and staff member who had been part of the journey to feel that pride with us, so we made 2024 a year of pure celebration.

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It kicked off with our first-ever Outcrafter Expedition. We took 20 young people—from a club that started with just eight—to the wilds of Yorkshire. They dived into the unknown, fine-tuning their navigation and testing their grit. We gorge-walked through freezing February waters, slid down river rapids, scaled crags, and explored our history at the Jorvik Viking Centre.

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But we didn't stop there. We welcomed the inspirational Memma the Cave Woman for our first Spring Weekender, raised £3.8k for charity during our 10K Camp, and launched a new partnership at Bawsey Bay to add watersports to our repertoire. We drew the year to a close at our spectacular Autumn Birthday Camp, burying a time capsule that won’t see the light of day until 2034.

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To Now and Beyond...

Today, Inside Out has transformed once again. Our Outcrafters community has grown to 58 young people who join us every Friday night and camp out once a month. Their adventures have taken them across the UK - from Dorset to our recent 2026 Expedition in Cumbria, which was arguably our best and most ambitious yet.

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We’ve also come full circle. We are returning to our original mission of bringing Bushcraft directly into schools through our Ongoing Provision. By taking the "Outcrafter Collection" - our most popular and proven skills - and delivering it within the school week, we’re ensuring more children than ever can experience the independence that comes with life in the woods (even if that is in their school field).

The Next Horizon
This fire isn't out yet... We’re gearing up for another Spring Weekender and our most ambitious charity challenge yet: 'Trailblazer', a 49-mile trek coming this May half-term.

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Nearly twelve years later, our boots are muddier and our team is bigger, but the mission remains exactly the same as it was in 2014. We are here to help you find your story in the woods.

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To Adventure. To Learn. To Grow.

See you by the fire.