About
The Quiet Canopy is rooted in Forest Bathing, exploring different ways of slowing down, paying attention and experiencing the beauty of the natural world.
Hello, I’m Kate Frearson
I am a certified Forest Bathing Guide, artist, and conservation volunteer. Three strands of my life that have gradually found their way into The Quiet Canopy.
For much of my career, I worked in advertising and design, drawn to ideas, stories, and collaboration - understanding people, making sense of complexity and finding creative ways to communicate.
Over time, I found myself increasingly drawn back to nature. Returning to the land offered a different rhythm - a place to slow down, pay attention and find a sense of peace and balance.
I began to notice that time spent outdoors was doing more than just giving me a break from everyday life. It was changing the way I moved through it: my mind felt less crowded, my attention less scattered, and I was more present to the life I was actually living.
It was through this renewed relationship with nature that I discovered Forest Bathing, which forms the foundation of The Quiet Canopy. I trained as a guide with The Forest Bathing Institute (TFBI), whose training is accredited by the Complementary Medicine Association.
Forest Bathing gave me a way to understand and deepen this experience - and importantly, to share that experience with others.
My creative practice has grown from the same practice of looking closely. I work with clay and photography, drawn to the forms, textures, shadows and small details that emerge when you give something your close attention. A piece of bark, the shape of an ancient oak, the way light falls across the woodland floor - these observations often become the starting point for making.
Alongside my creative practice, my work as a conservation volunteer at Ashtead Common has brought me closer to the practical life of the woodland - its ecology and history and the work involved in caring for a living landscape.
Today, I hold a license to guide groups through the Ashtead Common, where I lead regular Forest Bathing sessions. From spring, I’ll also begin offering nature-connected creative experiences.
Every landscape has its own character and I spend time getting to know the places where I work - returning often, paying attention to their particular qualities and the small changes that reveal themselves over time. This attention to place shapes the experiences I create, so that they belong to the landscape rather than simply happening in it.
The Quiet Canopy is an invitation to leave expectations behind, slow down, and allow your mind and body to settle. Here, there is room for your own curiosity, authentic connection and experience of the landscape.
Come and spend some time beneath the trees.
I’d love to welcome you to The Quiet Canopy.
If you have any questions, would like to know more about Forest Bathing or an upcoming session, or would like to enquire about a bespoke experience, please get in touch at kate@thequietcanopy.co.uk or via the form below.