THE GARDEN THAT GREW A COMMUNITY

Friendships, food, and fresh air lie at the heart of this thriving North Yorkshire garden project. Sally Clifford meets the people who made it happen

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Oscar Boatfield and Nell Wharton are used to nurturing. Since opening their coffee shop – Wildish – in the picturesque North Yorkshire village of Pateley Bridge three years ago, the couple have been fostering friendships. Living in an online world can be lonely and isolating for some but, through the Wildish community they are creating, Oscar and Nell are bringing people together through their love of the great outdoors.

FINDING THEIR PEOPLE
The incentive for setting up Wildish Club, a community interest company, was the couple's desire to meet like-minded people after relocating to Yorkshire in 2019.

Oscar was familiar with the county, having competed in fly-fishing competitions here in his youth. Interestingly, it was fly-fishing that brought them together – and initially led to them producing fishing bags, a range of practical carryalls, and some clothing, available from their coffee shop on Main Street and online.

“We started the café and the club at the same time. We moved here pre-Covid and we found it hard to meet people. We didn't have kids, didn't really drink, and we're not religious in any way. We didn't have connections, so we looked for a space where we could make friends as adults,” says Oscar.

FROM SHOP WINDOW TO NATIONWIDE NETWORK

The seed was sown with a simple poster in their shop window and has grown to other parts of the country. Oscar explains that there are currently nine other Wildish Clubs – Cambridge, London, West Wales, North Scotland, and counting...

“There are more starting all the time, and we want them everywhere,” says Oscar.