What people are saying.

  • “On behalf of all the WI members who visited Carey secret garden yesterday,I'd like to thank you, Dan, and Dominic for making our day such a success. There is so much to be gained from having a tour and the explanation of your ethos and future plans. It's great that you are involving children and showing them where their food comes from..”

    — Linda, WI Group, June 2024

  • "Well attend informal event. Educational and light-hearted, almost like confessions of a bird watcher at times 😁 Magus's recordings and imitations of birds song were a joy to hear . Killians humour and artistic skills enriched the event. ( thank you so much Killian for my little hobby sketch ) The commitment & enthusiasm from the whole sounds approach team was easy to see. It was a privilege to be in the room with the Sound Approach team especially when it's such a rare occasion when the whole team meets face to face. Thoroughly enjoyable event and one we certainly will remember."

    -Julie, Feb 2024

  • “Regarding the Sound Approach evening with Lucy, Mark, Killian, Magnus, ....., it was another very enjoyable session. It was very interesting to hear their tales, to get a better understanding of what the Sound Approach is all about (insofar as they seem to know themselves 😊) and to be plied with drinkies and nibbles afterwards 😇. Magnus and Killian have a wonderful, relaxed way of telling of their adventures and mishaps in far-flung places when attempting to find/record/sketch/photograph rare species. As someone with rubbish hearing and not a single artistic gene in my body it is quite special to listen to people who are blessed with skill and talent in abundance, and who use their creative skills to further science and to bring pleasure and learning to others. "

    — Roly, Feb 2024

  • "I thought Tim Mackrills talk on Re-Wilding the Skies was absolutely fantastic…really enjoyed the stunning amount of information…delivered by Tim with such enthusiasm…clearly dedicated to the cause and incredibly inspiring. Full marks to Tim and the Roy Dennis Team for such a brilliant project. Also the following days talk on Making Space for Nature by Seb from DWT was equally brilliant..Seb is clearly incredibly knowledgable and the presentation was professionally delivered and full of fascinating facts about the exciting developments at Woodbury…well done Seb and the team at DWT….look forward to seeing it develop. I also enjoyed the illuminations ..particularly the lit up Berlin Wall..very atmospheric.!! I have to say that it is becoming widely acknowledged and accepted that spending time outdoors with nature is good for the soul and one’s general mental and physical wellbeing however , both these presentations I felt gave a similar response..came away with a really good feeling that we have dedicated individuals like Tim and Seb and their respective organisation's making a real positive difference to our environment…so much valuable hope in an often negative world…great stuff…gave me a real buzz!!"

    -Allan, Feb 2024

  • “I think I discovered Careys about 2 years ago and I absolutely loved it from the start. It is a sanctuary and a tonic - totally immersed in nature, with a lovely team, it is a joy and brings me so much pleasure. I started attending Sonja's yoga classes, which are wonderful - and it was so nice to have these continue into the late autumn/early winter months last year. I hope the outdoor yoga will continue for many more seasons, Sonja is an exceptional teacher and lovely lady. Attending my first yoga class, I overhead a BOPH event and subsequently discovered BOPH and of course the Ospreys. I was glued to that camera all season last year and was totally conflicted when they all migrated - in awe of the journey they undertake, but also immensely sad not to be able to watch them any more! (Hilariously, those ospreys resulted in me doing a bit more research into where they migrate to. I ended up making a trip to Gambia earlier this year - not specifically for that purpose, but by pure coincidence, the bird guide our eco-lodge arranged for us was the gent who had spotted and photographed one of the BOPH osprey chicks - 019- at Ganjur quarry in 2019!) There is a certain sense of connectedness about all of this and it all started at Careys! My garden is filled with numerous gorgeous salvias purchased from you and a wonderful peppermint scented pelargonium. I've discovered a few new plants (that "bee magnet" green manure, Phacelia Tanacetifolia), wandered into the citrus glasshouse this spring and was intoxicated by the scent - just the ticket in a wet and cold spring! I LOVE your chai latte - the very best I've ever had (please keep that coming - it disappeared for a while). We have also attended the Purbeck film screening in October which was great - and there are several other events I look forward to joining whenever I can - I am not local but visit the area very frequently. I love your ethos, all that you do and the way that you do it - Careys is an escape and an elixir. Thank you for creating this gem and life-enhancing spot"

    — Jennifer, June 2024

  • "An interesting and fascinating day out - I feel privileged to have been in the company of such obviously committed and knowledgeable people. Their enthusiasm is very infectious. I learned at lot about bird voices and I only hope I can capitalise on it this spring. The secret garden is a wonderful location and while it is early days in the restoration, you can imagine how it will look in a few years’ time. The surrounding environment is marvellous and appears to have almost unlimited potential for increasing biodiversity. The weather was a bit of a dampener but it couldn’t be helped. I look forward to more workshops in the future."

    - Alick, Feb 2024