Meet the ‘prepper’ mums getting ready for the collapse of civilisation

Meet the ‘prepper’ mums getting ready for the collapse of civilisation

I can appreciate the importance of being prepared for anything you know recently the deput Prime Minister was saying about how we should be prepared you know we do have flood situations we do have situations happen here now and so is it a good idea to have some level of preparedness Probably We’ve had a lot more women come onto Bushcraft courses in the last few years some of it is I think that it’s becoming more open and people know that there are likely to be other women on these courses now and so they don’t feel intimidated to go oh I’m going into a

Man’s world when it’s not anymore and I think Co was a bit of a wake up where people were like oh things might not always stay on the seene Supermarket shelves that was the big thing it was toilet rolls on the supermarket shelves were gone and just that whole thing I

Think changed a lot of people’s perspectives the skills of Those so I have taught my children some Bushcraft skills but they also learn from lots of other people they’re very passionate about it themselves my younger daughter is very interested in plants and animals and does some foraging under supervision other parents have commented on what we do mostly

Because when my daughter does Forest school at school the parents come up and say oh we’ve heard your child could do this or knew about that and has shown my child that so there’s been a lot of enthusiasm and support for that with the cost of living I think that bushar kills

Really come into their own there’s lots of practical skills with the making things you know I’ve made baskets over the last few years I can make my own bags I do leather work all of those things means that I can make myself quality items they’re exactly what I

Want there bepoke but also when it comes to you know we fore for Stinger Nettles you I got low in iron and so they’re very very high in iron it meant I could supplement my diet with natural wild Foods that’s safe of course I always need to know the law of andwar I’m

Collecting and picking and and doing that so anybody who’s going into that needs to research it and have a 100% ID one of the things is that when you learn any form of practical skill especially when there’s quite a lot of detail in it to be successful it means it gives you a

A level of self-confidence which transfers over to other areas of life yeah I mean all that’s going on in the world at the moment it doesn’t really bother us in the same way of course we think about it everybody does but there’s still a resilience there that

You just feel okay and especially when you’re in the woods it’s the same as it was 2 years ago it’s the same as it was 5 years ago still the woods and yes there are differences when you know you know we’ve there’s been some you know issues with certain species of trees but

You also see growth and you see regeneration that’s something you don’t get when you’re just stuck in four Walls

TRAINING their kids to use knives and dining out on roadkill… meet the suburban mums ready for the collapse of civilisation as we know it.

A surge in “prepper parenting” has seen bookings in survival courses soar, with mothers across the UK stockpiling for a crisis – even if they’re called “doomsday damsels” by confused neighbours.

This month the deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden told Brits to buy candles and battery powered radios in case power supplies or digital connections went down.

And experts tell The Sun that they had seen a 100 per cent rise in people taking survival classes well before this announcement, with women leading the way.

British preppers are worried about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza leading to a global conflict, rising energy prices, lockdown and flooding.

Survival expert Jason Ingamells, 46, from Matlock, Derbyshire, whose Woodland Ways company offers courses across the UK and abroad, says: “The number of men, women and families wanting to do a day, weekend or even a monthly long course has doubled.

“We used to have more men, but now on some courses women dominate.

“I am even doing a course for hen parties who are opting out of boozy nights and into survival kits.

“I do some courses which show participants how to cook a meal just using what they can forage.

“Other courses see us dining on a gourmet meal of fresh roadkill.”

One of the mums who is ready for a crisis is Kya Fernwood, 47, from Oxford.

The acupuncturist and single mother-of-two attended a bushcraft show two years ago with her daughters, aged nine and 13.

They learned how to make fires from flint, forage for fruit and mushrooms and how to make a survival shelter.

Kya explains: “It was amazing. The girls had a great time and I felt more empowered learning new skills.”

While she had been surrounded by burly men in camo kit at the first show, the following year it was a different crowd.

Kya says: “There were more women and families than ever before.

“In Canada, where my relatives live, everyone has to have general preparedness kits in case of blizzards to survive three days without help.

“The fact the deputy PM has asked us to have kits at home just makes good sense.”

Jason offered her the chance to become an apprentice course coordinator for Woodland Ways.

She says: “I do the school run, manage my acupuncture treatment clinic and teach survival courses and bushcraft skills.

“For the first time in my life I felt confident making a shelter and fire from nothing in the wildness. I felt I could handle a crisis if I found myself with out resources.”

“My daughters have learnt the same skills as me. They can start a fire without a lighter, build a shelter, find drinkable water and make a meal from what they forage.

“They are mini little modern bush crafters who can.”

Her daughters also know how to handle a knife, use a flint and have “kit bags”, which are filled with the key items needed for survival in the woods.

Kya says: “Some people might be horrified to see a child under 10 wielding a knife in the woods, but they know what they are doing.

“They don’t spend time on TikTok or YouTube. They are at home in the woods now.

“I am glad my two girls have their grab bags with sleeping blankets, waterproof clothes, batteries, flints, mini shovels and kit to survive.”

Instead of eating fast food, the girls dine out on wild foraged salad, pigeon stew, elderflower fritters, woodland mushroom bakes and nettle soup.

Kya says: “I know many people will stick up their noses, but now mums, dads and families approach me wanting more information and to learn the skills my girls and I have.

“At home my kids both know how to survive a blackout, how to filter water, use a saw, cook on a fire, and what essential items are needed to stay and warm.

“I’m not an apocalypse junkie. I am a mum who is prepared.”

Read more: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/24962184/prepper-mums-doomsday-damsels-off-grid-survival/

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