Meet Eleri – PhD student
Written by Tir Coed / Tuesday 28 November 2017
While we are in the midst of welcoming new members of staff to the Tir Coed team, I thought it was about time I showed my face!
I’m Eleri, a PhD student from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University. My job for the next three years (I’m already six weeks in!) is to study and document the experiences of those participants enrolled on Tir Coed’s woodland-based training courses as part of my analysis of Welsh woodlands as therapeutic sites which can enhance well-being and social engagement. My project will analyse Tir Coed’s past and present vocational training and events to make them the best they can be for participants, groups and communities in rural Wales in future. It’s a daunting task at times, but one that excites and inspires me every day and would not be possible without the generous support of KESS II funding.
I completed my BSc in Physical Geography at Aberystwyth University in 2016, following a year in industry at the Department for Education and Skills in the Welsh Government. In the summer, I completed my Master’s thesis exploring arborglyphs (those initials, dates, and symbols carved into tree bark) and recreational tree climbing as two ways in which people experience and interact with woodlands in the UK. When I’m not studying, I’m usually roaming the charity shops of Aberystwyth to feed my obsession with knitting, sewing, and the amassing of a seemingly infinite pile of yet-to-be-read books.
