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Karen Lowthrop

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Social entrepreneur couple Karen, chief executive, and Nigel Lowthrop, founder/director, have turned an abandoned woodland into a place for young people to find new skills and opportunities.

Social Enterprise Ambassador Karen Lowthrop runs one of the UK’s most unique social enterprises – an initiative providing training and work for excluded and disadvantaged young people, within a sustainably-managed wood.

Fifteen years ago, Hill Holt Wood (HHW) on the Lincolnshire / Nottinghamshire border was unvisited and run down, with invasive rhododendron, a damaged drainage system and the majority of the quality timber removed by the previous owners.

Now, it’s a thriving community project with visitors from all over Europe . At any one time, the wood provides a base for more than 50 teenagers aged 14 plus. Each day, the young people arrive on site to take care of the land and make wood products such as picnic benches and children’s toys, to sell. The woods are off the national electricity grid and so the team also makes its own energy.

Understandably, local councils truly embrace the enterprise and the impressive benefits it brings to the environment and the community. They have put their money where their mouth is by contracting HHW for a number of services including litter collection, countryside management, gardening and providing alternative full-time education to excluded young people aged 14-16. This is on top of contracts with local businesses, the probation service and more.

“Winning contracts is about being able to prove ourselves and the sustainability of what we do,” says Social Enterprise Ambassador Karen.

“North Kesteven District Council doesn’t work with us because we’re a social enterprise but because we’re doing the best job. For the under 16s, we’ve had a rolling, three-year contract with them which we’ve won three times in a row.”

Karen herself is continually inspired by living in the midst of such an initiative, which turns out young people who are happier, confident and more able to reach their full potential. In May 2009 she was given the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire’s award for her work in the community, to add to a clutch of awards already won by the enterprise.

“When I met Nigel, he told me about this plan he had to buy a wood. I was jetting around the world working for an international drugs company, but now I feel truly liberated. There are so many success stories coming from Hill Holt Wood,” says Karen.

This 14-hectare, 300-year-old deciduous woodland does indeed have many success stories to reveal. Aaron Tonks, 21, spent three years at the enterprise and is now working as a butcher.

“I was 17, just finishing school and wanted to be a bricklayer. But because I’m diabetic, people thought I was too much of a risk and no one would give me a job,” says Aaron. “The Job Centre put me in touch with Connexions and they put me onto Hill Holt Wood. Being there helped me a lot. I didn’t have any confidence before, I didn’t even like using the phone.

“I did long days there and got used to hard work and got much fitter. It prepared me for working life. Now I’m a butcher and very happy. I enjoy having useful skills for life.” 

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Quick Facts

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• Hill Holt Wood’s E2E (Entry to Employment) groups for 16-18 year olds have a 65% progression into Further Education, work or training. The national average is 47%.
• For year 11s at Hill Holt Wood – most of whom don’t have any GCSEs - there is a 100% progression rate into further education, work or training.
• Hill Holt Wood generates its own energy, works to increase biodiversity and has plans for five eco houses on-site for employees.

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