Wild Song is a folk song and wellbeing Circle held in nature. For folk of all ages feeling the deep call to connect with the land, and sing together as ‘the village’. Babes in arms, toddlers and young children welcome. I offer 2 women’s circles and 1 mixed circle where all are welcome.
When: Mondays*, Wednesdays and Fridays 10-11.15am (Summer holidays 2025 ONLY)
Monday – women’s circle (*private session – not bookable by the public)
Wednesday – mixed circle
Friday – women’s circle
Where: Meanwood Valley Trail, next to Meanwood Valley Urban Farm (link to google maps pin here)
Exchange: £12 per adult / children free
I also offer a handful of Pay What You Can spaces, please contact me if you need one.
How to book: Book your PAYG sessions directly using the BookWhen link above. Please also join the Wild Song WhatsApp Group for updates about which sessions are running (as it’s not on every week), see link to join group below. If you don’t have WhatsApp, feel free to text me instead on 07708616790. Payments are made by BookWhen, or you if you come to more than one session, I would appreciate a bank transfer instead to avoid fees (you still book via BookWhen but just select ‘Current Families Only – pay via BACS’ at check out…message me and I will send you the details. Thank you!)
Why is Monday a private women’s circle? I bring both of my children to the Monday session, and so I am coming as a mother, space holding for women as well as my children. Our Monday circle women have shared the motherhood or sisterhood journey with me, and so I feel able to lean into their support if my children are calling; there is also the shared understanding that I may need to pause to lean into my children’s needs before coming back to hold the energetic space. However, if Monday is the only day you can come, please message me.
Do I need to be a singer?
No, all voices are welcome. This is a circle more than a choir, and every voice and every woman/person is valued; we meet on the land and sing in circle, as women/folk have been coming together to work and sing in rural communities for centuries. It’s not about the voices we have, it’s about the energy that moves through us when we sing as one. And for the mothers among us, particularly those with babes in arms, I love to remind you that your voice is your baby’s favourite sound.
Who can come?
Women’s circles: Women* of all ages and walks of life are welcome, as well as mothers with babes in arms, toddlers, multiple children. Your children of any age (up to 12) are welcome to attend for free. Girls aged 13-17 are more than welcome to come and are invited to join in our circle shares, if they wish (or they can simply listen). £6 extra for 13-17s.
*Anyone who identifies as a woman is welcome in this ‘safer’ space. Trans women are welcome here. Also, menstruating/pregnant/birthing people who don’t identify as women, or are gender fluid, but would love to be included in this space, are welcome. Please see the LGBT Foundation’s guide on ‘What is a woman’ for more information.
Mixed circles: Men, women and people of all ages and walks of life are welcome, as well as parents/carers with babes in arms, toddlers, multiple children. Your children of any age (up to 12) are welcome to attend for free. Boys, girls and teens aged 13-17 are more than welcome to come and are invited to join in our circle shares, if they wish (or they can simply listen). £6 extra for 13-17s.
What to bring:
Picnic blanket / rug to sit on
Sun cream & hats / clothes for all weathers
Water bottle
A nature offering for our nature basket e.g. a flower, pinecone, shell, feather
If you have young children please also bring: Some fresh or dried fruit to share, already cut up in baby-friendly sizes, please (and a potty for your child if you wish).
Join the WhatsApp group for WILD SONG
If you’re not on WhatsApp, please text me (Caitlin!) instead on 07708616790 so I have your number in case of a cancelled class.
What happens in the session?
I bring my harp, drum and a basket of natural percussion instruments for the children to explore. There is time at the beginning to settle in with a sharing fruit snack for the children, and for the women/adults to chat, ground and acclimatise to the wild space.
The session begins with a grounding breath practice and a one-word check in. We then warm-up and sing some beautiful, simple a capella folk songs with our feet on the ground, perhaps barefoot, joining together with harmonies and nourishing movement. The children can engage with the musical instrument basket, our collective nature offering or free wild play in the outdoors.
After some music-making and free flow, we close the session with a one-word check out, with the option to spend more time somatically with the land or find some quiet space to integrate after the magic of the songs.
Families often head to the Barn Café after the session for a coffee, or take their children around the farm. Please remember to head to the Epicentre (main building near the car park) to pay for your entry to the farm (£3 adult and 50p child) if you are visiting the animals after our session. Visiting the farm is not included in the Wild Song ticket price, and MVUF is a wonderful charity creating beautiful, green space within the city – rare community projects like these need our collective support.
The birth of Wild Song as a women’s circle
This is a tenderly creative space for me to share with you as I birth Wild Song into the world. I bring my 2 beautiful girls (aged 3.5 and 1.5) with me to the Monday session and my youngest comes to the Friday session as well. They are my deepest inspiration for this project, and it is very dear to me that they are able to absorb our collective singing while playing nearby in nature and held by a circle of women in community.
This is what I want them to see and experience: strong, kind, tender and powerful women being a support for each other, sitting in circle within nature’s Garden, singing together and connecting with their deepest selves. I am so grateful that they can also experience seeing me as their mother in a leadership role, holding space for others, grounding within and without, and, together with all of you gorgeous women, embracing my own carefree wild child through song and dance!
Ad hoc bookings
Sometimes I need to cancel a session last minute, due to my children’s illness or meeting our collective family needs. This is why I only offer last minute bookings and I find WhatsApp is the quickest way to get in touch with families (emailing can be tricky with 2 little ones in tow!) The sessions are PAYG so you don’t need to commit, and this fits well around our family life, enabling me to offer the sessions only when I know I can definitely make it.
This is also weather dependent group! General dates will be given a month in advance via WhatsApp, but bookings will only be confirmed (and advertised publicly) 2 days before so I can check the weather. We won’t be out in the pouring rain or in super cold weather, because who needs this with kids! But when we can comfortably be in the wild, let’s get outdoors, connect and sing.
Accessibility
Due to the nature of being outside, and surfaces likely to be uneven, this is unfortunately not an easily accessible event for those in a wheelchair. There is a steep hill leading down to the land we gather upon, which is not accessible for a wheelchair user (but just about manageable with a pram). Sound-wise, this will be a gentle, nurturing space. If you struggle with certain noises e.g. drumming, please let me know, I can easily omit drums from the session. I am happy to chat to you about access requirements, and will do whatever I can to support you, just message or WhatsApp voice note me on 07708616790. I hope to see you at a Wild Song session soon! Caitlin x
Caitlin Mayall 