Rosa Tiree Beesley

Forest gardening · Facilitation · Craft — Bristol & the South West

Helping people build lasting relationships with land, through growing, making and learning together.

I'm Rosa — an agroecological grower, facilitator and craftsperson. I design forest gardens and community growing spaces, teach practical land skills, and use making as a way of connecting people to place.

Let's talk about your project
Photo — Rosa at work, Grow Wilder
Photo — hands in soil / willow / clay

About

Ecology, craft and community — held together by process.

I trained as a maker (BA Design & Craft, University of Brighton) and have spent the last decade working with people and land: community gardens, food education, and gardening-for-wellbeing projects across Bristol.

For five years I worked for Avon Wildlife Trust at Grow Wilder, growing food and habitat, leading volunteers, and coordinating the Grow Leader course — training the next wave of community growing leaders.

What ties it all together is a love of process, and a belief that when people make, grow and learn in a landscape, they come to care for it — and act to protect it.

BA (Hons) Design & Craft 5 years · Avon Wildlife Trust Grow Leader course coordinator Volunteer programme leadership

What I do

Three strands, one practice.

Forest gardens & ecological design

Design and consultancy for edible, wildlife-rich landscapes.

  • Forest garden design & feasibility studies
  • Community growing space development
  • Wildlife & agroecological gardening
  • Volunteer programme design

Facilitation & education

Warm, grounded learning experiences outdoors.

  • Agroecology & forest gardening courses
  • Volunteer & grow-leader training
  • Nature connection & wellbeing sessions
  • Bespoke training for organisations

Craft & making

Place-based craft as a doorway into nature connection.

  • Green woodworking & natural materials
  • Ceramics, metal & wood workshops
  • Community-built garden infrastructure
  • Craft-for-nature-connection sessions

Selected projects

Work grown over a decade.

Hand-cut metal badger made of separate pieces Metal creatures mounted along a reclaimed log Metal animal nails in the making Augmented-reality app screenshot Animation still from the AR trail

How can design encourage environmental engagement? Handmade metal animal nails, made to hammer into wood or bark, link through augmented reality to informative animations — interactive signposting for an engaging woodland trail.

1/5
Craft · Interpretation · 2014

An Environmental Engagement

How can design encourage environmental engagement? Handmade metal animal nails, made to hammer into wood or bark, link through augmented reality to informative animations — interactive signposting for an engaging woodland trail.

Smoke-fired ceramic tree trunks standing in grass Ceramic elm vessel, oxide-washed surface Oil-drum kiln used for smoke firing

Since the 1970s, 25 million European elms have been lost to Dutch elm disease. This series celebrates our native trees: clay press-formed inside hollow elm logs, washed with oxides, then smoke-fired or glazed with an elm-ash glaze.

1/3
Ceramics · 2014

Ceramic Elms

Since the 1970s, 25 million European elms have been lost to Dutch elm disease. This series celebrates our native trees: clay press-formed inside hollow elm logs, washed with oxides, then smoke-fired or glazed with an elm-ash glaze.

Steam-bent ash plant nursery Nursery detail Seedlings in the incubating nursery Vegetable seedlings offered door to door Nursery in use

A door-to-door offering of vegetable seedlings opened a conversation about why people don't grow their own. The incubating nursery, made in steam-bent ash, brings nurturing plants into daily life — and makes local produce something to appreciate.

1/5
Design · Growing

Nursery

A door-to-door offering of vegetable seedlings opened a conversation about why people don't grow their own. The incubating nursery, made in steam-bent ash, brings nurturing plants into daily life — and makes local produce something to appreciate.

Handmade seed paper sheets Seed paper drying Paper pots formed from seed paper Seed paper pot planted out

Seeds and nutrients embedded in handmade paper, formed into pots that plant straight into the ground. The paper biodegrades while the seeds and nutrients support plant growth.

1/4
Craft · Materials · 2014

Paper

Seeds and nutrients embedded in handmade paper, formed into pots that plant straight into the ground. The paper biodegrades while the seeds and nutrients support plant growth.

Photo — Grow Wilder
Growing · Community · 2020—2025

Grow Wilder, Avon Wildlife Trust

Five years growing food and habitat, leading volunteer teams and community programmes at Bristol's wildlife-friendly growing site.

Photo — course session
Education · Facilitation

Grow Leader Course

Coordinated and taught a multi-week training programme equipping people to lead community growing projects of their own.

Photo — forest garden
Design · Agroecology

Forest garden practice

Developing edible, layered plantings that build soil health and food security in a changing climate.

Can furnace under construction Can furnace firing Cast metal results Casting experiment detail

Documentation of the can furnace in production and in use — with first casting experiments using cuttlebone and the lost-foam process.

1/4
Metalwork · 2015

Can Furnace

Documentation of the can furnace in production and in use — with first casting experiments using cuttlebone and the lost-foam process.

String stool with accumulated strings Stool seat detail Turned and wedge-jointed stool frame

Inspired by shrines that accumulate prayer strings: each sitter ties a string to the stool, and over time the hard wooden seat becomes a cushioned one. Lathe-turned, laminated and wedge-jointed.

1/3
Furniture · 2012

String Stool

Inspired by shrines that accumulate prayer strings: each sitter ties a string to the stool, and over time the hard wooden seat becomes a cushioned one. Lathe-turned, laminated and wedge-jointed.

Two-person wooden swing Swing in use outdoors Swing construction detail

A two-person swing combining outdoor spontaneous play with its digital reflection — a collection of photographs posted online. Built using the Domino joining process.

1/3
Furniture · Play · 2013

Swing

A two-person swing combining outdoor spontaneous play with its digital reflection — a collection of photographs posted online. Built using the Domino joining process.

Triangular timber planters made from reclaimed materials Routing the planter frames Modular planters on a balcony

Reclaimed pallet wood, waste seat belts and banner material become a modular garden for balcony spaces. Made in collaboration with Biji Biji, a Malaysian maker collective.

1/3
Design · Growing · 2015

Urban Garden

Reclaimed pallet wood, waste seat belts and banner material become a modular garden for balcony spaces. Made in collaboration with Biji Biji, a Malaysian maker collective.

Kind words

What course participants say.

"This course has blown my expectations out of the water. I didn't know this kind of learning was possible. It's life-changing for me. Thank you."
— Grow Leader course participant
"Just right, so inviting, so gently inspiring, tuned in. Appreciated getting to know the space and the group through the activities we did. Would love more with Rosa."
— Course participant
"Love Rosa's calm and connecting style. Such a great session."
— Workshop participant
"Loved the pace of the session and the introductory grounding."

Contact

Planning a growing space, a course, or a making day?

I'd love to hear about it. Whether you're a community group dreaming up a forest garden, an organisation looking for training, or a school wanting hands-in-the-soil learning — get in touch for a friendly conversation.

Email Rosa
Email
rosatiree@gmail.com
Instagram
@rosatiree
Based in
Bristol, UK