Siza the Spider aka Jessica Dreamtime lives in a flourishing food garden surrounded by butterflies, bees and beetles, where she gives thanks for her good fortune often. She believes that everyone has the right to wholesome, organic food and spends many happy hours working in food gardens and sharing harvest celebrations.  She loves drumming and Raw Food, sharing her delicious solar herbal teas and solar sprouted seeds at every opportunity.

Gugu the Grasshopper aka Charlene Russell, is crazy about wildlife. She loves nothing better than watching Knysna Loeries flash past her window, squishing about a wetland or listening to the frogs croak on moonlit night. She is mostly barefoot and is an excellent compost maker. She is nifty at cartwheels, writing stories and making hummus. Even though she looks sweet she’s really quite tough and climbs trees faster than most 8 year olds.

Masechaba the Mayfly aka Éidín Griffin is a permaculture enthusiast with grubby fingernails and colourful welly boots. She lives in a rambling old farmhouse down a long dirt road with her family and has a happy menagerie of beloved chickens, dogs, rabbits and horses. She loves Brazilian capoeira dance classes, galloping about in the grasslands, painting whimsical pictures, eating local produce and saving heirloom seeds. She can be found smothered in natural resources in school gardens around the area. Her car is a natural disaster zone and smells like manure.   

Charles the Chameleon aka Nkanyiso Ndlela lives in ‘Maritzbug but escapes to the Balgowan countryside at every opportunity. He is passionate about Wetlands and shares his enthusiasm with the local children.  “Amaxhaphozi ayimvelo, angumgogodla wempilo nomthamo wamanzi.” he says. On weekends he dances a lot and relaxes with friends, playing pool at the Flo Lounge. He always looks neat and well dressed (unlike the messier Bugs) and has a great sense of style. He is also hotshot soccer player with a large fan base of young women!

Cindi iCimbi the Caterpillar aka Ntombenhle Mtambo makes the best vetkoek in Mpophomeni township (and fabulous ijeqe too). She loves singing, spending time with her seven kids and harvesting spinach from the veggie garden flourishing in her back yard. She encourages all her neighbours to grow food and her street is green and verdant as a result. She teaches wherever she goes and this includes while travelling on taxi’s and in front of large audiences. She is the unstoppable garden queen of the Midlands!   

Cebo the Cricket is Julia Colvin, Queen of the Midlands single-track, often spotted whizzing though the plantations or along country roads with her favourite two wheeled companion. After travelling extensively, she has settled in a thatched hobbit house in Howick and grows wonderful food in her garden. She has a natural affinity to animals as a trained veterinarian nurse and spends her spare time tending to the needs of furred and feathered creatures. As an avid reader and hoarder of interesting facts and figures she is the perfect person to introduce children to the wonders of books.

Tutu Busy Bee Zuma is our newest food garden facilitator. With a pick axe she is a one woman wonder and can create a blooming garden within the shortest time humanly possible. A dedicated mother and grandmother she has endless time for all children and warm hug and smile for any small people who need a friend. She has just found out that she loves snakes and is rapidly learning more about environmental education so as to be able to use her great people skills far and wide.