We’re so incredibly grateful to all of those who are working on the front line helping to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst many of our team are working remotely, we're all navigating this new normal and helping to flatten the curve together. That's why we're sharing the ways in which we've been connecting with nature, keeping busy, staying fit and active and channelling energy into making, listening and learning whilst spending more time at home.

Make

With lots of us home-schooling, working from home and generally trying to adjust to this new temporary way of life, we’ve been keeping our families busy with baking, bug hunting, seed planting and even rainbow flag making in the Raffield household. We’ve been spending lots of time in the garden and embracing the natural world we have on our doorsteps.

Emma, Head of Marketing, has been learning and having fun with her family by tree drawing:

"You may have trees (or larger plants) in your garden or a view to some through a window, if not, take a picture of some on a walk to draw later. Get experimenting with pencils, crayons and acrylics – or even different methods like finger-printing and not taking your pencil off the paper the entire time!”

We’d love to see how you get on if you do try some tree drawings – you can tag us in your pictures on social media #tomraffieldtreeschool or send a picture of your creation to media@tomraffield.com.

Catherine, our Finance Assistant, has been enjoying the sunny weather during lockdown by making a playhouse for her two children using wooden offcuts from her garden shed. She’s also been enjoying trying out some new home crafts using natural resources, such as petals, to dye fabrics. Catherine has been following the helpful and creative blogs of Rebecca Desnos which can be found here.

Chris, our Production Manager, has been making homemade Easter cards with his children to post through neighbours letterboxes and brighten their weekend. He’s also built a spectacular bug hotel in his garden with the help of an Eden Project guide which can be found here. 

Sally, our Marketing Assistant, has been making big plans to get hands-on and reupholster a mid-century style chair with modern fabrics. We’re loving the up-cycling theme of Sally’s at home project.

Listen

We’ve been enjoying feeling connected with the outside world from the comfort and safety of our own homes and wanted to share some of our favourite #stayathome pastimes that we think you’ll love too.

Never straying too far from his favourite theme of making and wood, Tom has been making some time to listen to 'The man who made things out of trees' audio book, which discusses why the urge to understand and appreciate trees still runs through us all like grain through wood. Grab a cup of tea and a blanket and let your mind wander with us.

Lauren, our Office Manager, has been listening to Fearne Cotton’s podcast ‘Happy Place’ each morning before working from home whilst eating her breakfast. The podcast interviews a series of personalities who share their life learnings in an honest and open manner - Lauren says it is helping her appreciate the small things in life. 

Callum, one of our skilled lighting makers, has been spending his time wisely by learning French via the DuoLingo App to equip him for his next road cycling trip to the French mountains.

Follow

As well as making a conscious effort to stay in contact with friends and family digitally, we’ve also been using the wonder of the internet to help us learn new skills, exercise and stay connected as a team.

Along with making rainbow flags with her family, Danielle, has been re-potting the house plants that reside in her Green Range planters, keeping up with her favourite Instagram feeds - bodieandfou and cosmicamerican for housekeeping tips and planting willow trees in their Grand Designs Home garden.

Quinn, one of our skilled lighting makers, has been enjoying cooking more at home following BBC Good Food store cupboard recipes and utilising lentils and beans from his store cupboard. 

We’ve all been enjoying our weekly yoga class, hosted by our teacher Lila (find her here on Instagram) via Zoom, a browser based platform where you can connect via video call with friends and family. Taking time to look after your body and mind during stressful periods is very important, so we’ve all still been taking an hour out of our week to connect and practice together.

Tobey, our Design Engineer, has been following the night sky and sharing updates on the brightest super-moon of the year and the progressing meteor showers predicted for the end of this month. He says that being able to still connect with nature, albeit from looking out of a window, is helping him feel grounded and calm.

Ellie, Head of Culture, has been enjoying following at home workouts from the likes of Psyche, Crossfit and Joe Wicks each morning.

"I find that maintaining some form of day-to-day routine is incredibly beneficial when faced with these unprecedented times, it helps me focus on the here and now, moving and breathing."

Read

We’ve been finding that these quieter times have allowed reflection, peace and opportunity to engage with our passions. Focusing on small things that make us happy and that we look forward to enjoying in the future is helping us navigate these unusual times we find ourselves in. Whether it’s making plans to grow vegetables, flowers for summer or learning new skills to aid with future projects, we’ve got some ideas on good reads to keep you entertained.

Scarlett, our Marketing Coordinator, has been reading ‘Do Grow start with 10 simple vegetables’ by Alice Holden and learning how to transform her back garden into a raised-bed vegetable haven. She's also been exploring the Cornish coastline on daily walks from her house to the sea, making sure to send photos to the rest of our team.

Safia, our Workshop Manager, has been indulging in her love of reading by learning more about wood and how it can be used as a natural, sustainable material in an array of projects. Safia’s top pick - 'Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest' can be found here.

Posted: 09.04.20
Updated: 09.04.20