What follows is a short pictorial history of over 20 years of involvement and events concerning the land to the north and east of the Park Ecovillage Findhorn – the Findhorn Hinterland.
It starts with two major disasters back in 2004 that led to fundamental and ultimately positive changes: a huge gorse fire resulted in the Findhorn Hinterland Group, the precursor of the Findhorn Hinterland Trust (FHT), being set up after a public meeting in Findhorn Village, where plans to plant trees on the burnt area were discussed; and a violent storm created a large area of windblown trees in the middle of Wilkies Wood, which ultimately transformed into the first community-led burial site in Scotland.
Summer 2005 Storm devastation starts to be cleared – a huge community effort.
April 2007 First green burial in Wilkies Wood happens before full planning permission for the green burial site – Katherine Inglis.
2008 Two important documents are produced: the first five-year management plan drawn up for Duneland, the landowner, and the neighbouring charity Findhorn Dunes Trust has a lichen survey report produced.
2009/10 First grant funding: Pony fencing costs from Scottish Community Fund.
2010 Will Russell takes on the Funeral Coordinator role.
2011/12 Woodland Shelter built, website set up and stump clearance of burial site possible through a Forestry for People grant.
2012 First Local Biodiversity Action Plan produced.
2012/13 First firebreaks put in using the Moray Council gorse basher.
2014 SEPA investigates the radioactivity from dismantled WW2 plane parts up by the wind turbines.
Nov 2014 Duneland sells Wilkies Wood land to the Findhorn Foundation.
2014/15 Woodland Garden started.
July 2015 Findhorn Hinterland Group, the unincorporated community group, becomes a charity: Findhorn Hinterland Trust SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation).
2015/16 Wildlife ponds created, public consultation happens including the first Woodland Festival.
April 2016 FHT becomes the burial authority for the Wilkies Wood Green Burial Site.
2016/17 FHT hosts the Community Woodland Association’s annual conference.
Nov 2017 Joint land owner meeting – the decision is taken to not jointly manage the dunes.
2018/19 First camp pads created, Kajedo Wanderer seconded from the Findhorn Foundation as FHT Land Manager, second Woodland Festival happens as part of Parkfest.
May 2018 Purchase of the Green Burial site from the Findhorn Foundation.
2018/19 Outdoor Learning Space starts to be built, the new apiary site is established by the wind turbines and tree planting by Lyle’s Wood for the 56th Findhorn Community birthday.
2019/20 Specialist biodiversity surveys started by Alan Watson Featherstone and restructuring of Wilkies Woodland starts.
2020/21 Covid restrictions limit what can be done but newsletter is resurrected, paid membership of FHT started and Kajedo Wanderer is finally employed directly by FHT as Land Manager.
2021/22 Conservation Hub started and completed in February 2022.
Storm Arwen provides timber for the new sanctuary, new compost toilet and our pony hay barn. Shepherds Hut build started, Trybooking began to be used for booking educational activities, the green burial team was restructured so there are now four paid team members instead of Will; and Draeyk van der Horn becomes the coordinator of the Woodland Garden.
2022/23 Practical biology field trips with Forres Academy pupils start, corporate event with Chivas Regal, Alan Watson Feathersonte puts on a FHT photo exhibition in the Hall, there is a woodland orchestra fundraiser, a new greenhouse is donated and installed in the Woodland Garden and the Shepherd’s Hut is completed.
2024/25 Beloved community member Duerten Lau is buried in the green burial site, which by the end of this period has about 50 lairs in use and another 90 reserved. A major step forward in FHT dune restoration work is the creation of 0.8ha of open dune. Visits to MOD, Forres Rotary Club and Findhorn and Kinloss Community Council to raise awareness of conservation activities. Partnership with Forres Academy more formalised, with over 140 pupils involved in educational activities this year.
2024/25 Theatre of the Seven Directions presents eco theatre performances using the land as a setting. Restructuring the organisation to make it more sustainable and resilient is undertaken with Just Enterprise consultants.
FHT plays a key role in the building of the new Light of Findhorn Sanctuary, supplying wood from the land and creating benches for the vestibule.
FHT is awarded Nature30 status on the 20th August 2025 with this major national conservation initiative being launched from here by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Energy and the CEO of NatureScot.
FHT Chair Jonathan Caddy with Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Energy, Gillian Martin
Above are a few highlights on our journey. What you do not see is the care, concern and hard work of a band of relatively few that have supported so much of the work so far. They have helped and inspired so many more to get involved in caring for the land, planting trees, keeping the gorse in check, keeping paths open, offering workshops and retreats, welcoming people of all ages, maintaining the structures, taking photographs, planning and putting on festivals, raising money, attending meetings, designing posters and articles, keeping people safe, looking after tools and the other thousand and one ways that we interact with the land, its creatures and each other as we give back to an area which is much loved and has given so much pleasure in so many ways to the many. A huge thank you to the land itself and to all the many hundreds of people that have been involved in so many different ways.
I have personally had fun, learnt a lot and given what I can to something I believe in and think is important. I hope you have too if you have been part of this adventure and this whole exercise makes me wonder who will carry the batten and get involved over the next 20 years?
Jonathan Caddy, FHT Trustee
November 2025
For a more detailed but still incomplete history of the work of FHG and FHT, do have a look at the following link. More will be added as time allows.
Pictorial History: Working with the Findhorn Hinterland ‘Wild’ Land
What follows is a short pictorial history of over 20 years of involvement and events concerning the land to the north and east of the Park Ecovillage Findhorn – the Findhorn Hinterland.
It starts with two major disasters back in 2004 that led to fundamental and ultimately positive changes: a huge gorse fire resulted in the Findhorn Hinterland Group, the precursor of the Findhorn Hinterland Trust (FHT), being set up after a public meeting in Findhorn Village, where plans to plant trees on the burnt area were discussed; and a violent storm created a large area of windblown trees in the middle of Wilkies Wood, which ultimately transformed into the first community-led burial site in Scotland.
Summer 2005 Storm devastation starts to be cleared – a huge community effort.
April 2007 First green burial in Wilkies Wood happens before full planning permission for the green burial site – Katherine Inglis.
2008 Two important documents are produced: the first five-year management plan drawn up for Duneland, the landowner, and the neighbouring charity Findhorn Dunes Trust has a lichen survey report produced.
2009/10 First grant funding: Pony fencing costs from Scottish Community Fund.
2010 Will Russell takes on the Funeral Coordinator role.
2011/12 Woodland Shelter built, website set up and stump clearance of burial site possible through a Forestry for People grant.
2012 First Local Biodiversity Action Plan produced.
2012/13 First firebreaks put in using the Moray Council gorse basher.
2014 SEPA investigates the radioactivity from dismantled WW2 plane parts up by the wind turbines.
Nov 2014 Duneland sells Wilkies Wood land to the Findhorn Foundation.
2014/15 Woodland Garden started.
July 2015 Findhorn Hinterland Group, the unincorporated community group, becomes a charity: Findhorn Hinterland Trust SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation).
2015/16 Wildlife ponds created, public consultation happens including the first Woodland Festival.
April 2016 FHT becomes the burial authority for the Wilkies Wood Green Burial Site.
2016/17 FHT hosts the Community Woodland Association’s annual conference.
Nov 2017 Joint land owner meeting – the decision is taken to not jointly manage the dunes.
2018/19 First camp pads created, Kajedo Wanderer seconded from the Findhorn Foundation as FHT Land Manager, second Woodland Festival happens as part of Parkfest.
May 2018 Purchase of the Green Burial site from the Findhorn Foundation.
2018/19 Outdoor Learning Space starts to be built, the new apiary site is established by the wind turbines and tree planting by Lyle’s Wood for the 56th Findhorn Community birthday.
2019/20 Specialist biodiversity surveys started by Alan Watson Featherstone and restructuring of Wilkies Woodland starts.
2020/21 Covid restrictions limit what can be done but newsletter is resurrected, paid membership of FHT started and Kajedo Wanderer is finally employed directly by FHT as Land Manager.
2021/22 Conservation Hub started and completed in February 2022.
Storm Arwen provides timber for the new sanctuary, new compost toilet and our pony hay barn. Shepherds Hut build started, Trybooking began to be used for booking educational activities, the green burial team was restructured so there are now four paid team members instead of Will; and Draeyk van der Horn becomes the coordinator of the Woodland Garden.
2022/23 Practical biology field trips with Forres Academy pupils start, corporate event with Chivas Regal, Alan Watson Feathersonte puts on a FHT photo exhibition in the Hall, there is a woodland orchestra fundraiser, a new greenhouse is donated and installed in the Woodland Garden and the Shepherd’s Hut is completed.
2024/25 Beloved community member Duerten Lau is buried in the green burial site, which by the end of this period has about 50 lairs in use and another 90 reserved. A major step forward in FHT dune restoration work is the creation of 0.8ha of open dune. Visits to MOD, Forres Rotary Club and Findhorn and Kinloss Community Council to raise awareness of conservation activities. Partnership with Forres Academy more formalised, with over 140 pupils involved in educational activities this year.
2024/25 Theatre of the Seven Directions presents eco theatre performances using the land as a setting. Restructuring the organisation to make it more sustainable and resilient is undertaken with Just Enterprise consultants.
FHT plays a key role in the building of the new Light of Findhorn Sanctuary, supplying wood from the land and creating benches for the vestibule.
FHT is awarded Nature30 status on the 20th August 2025 with this major national conservation initiative being launched from here by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Energy and the CEO of NatureScot.
FHT Chair Jonathan Caddy with Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Energy, Gillian Martin
Above are a few highlights on our journey. What you do not see is the care, concern and hard work of a band of relatively few that have supported so much of the work so far. They have helped and inspired so many more to get involved in caring for the land, planting trees, keeping the gorse in check, keeping paths open, offering workshops and retreats, welcoming people of all ages, maintaining the structures, taking photographs, planning and putting on festivals, raising money, attending meetings, designing posters and articles, keeping people safe, looking after tools and the other thousand and one ways that we interact with the land, its creatures and each other as we give back to an area which is much loved and has given so much pleasure in so many ways to the many. A huge thank you to the land itself and to all the many hundreds of people that have been involved in so many different ways.
I have personally had fun, learnt a lot and given what I can to something I believe in and think is important. I hope you have too if you have been part of this adventure and this whole exercise makes me wonder who will carry the batten and get involved over the next 20 years?
Jonathan Caddy, FHT Trustee
November 2025
For a more detailed but still incomplete history of the work of FHG and FHT, do have a look at the following link. More will be added as time allows.