We are crowdfunding to purchase this land, and bring The Rural School of Arts & The People’s Forest to life
We are crowdfunding to purchase this land, and bring The Rural School of Arts & The People’s Forest to life
We are crowdfunding
By April 2026 we are looking to raise
£500,000 to bring into collective guardianship 24 hectares of wild land, saving it from being turned into an industrial farming landscape, and providing a home for the school as The People’s forest
By June 2026 we are looking to raise
£400,000 to commence the living crafts programme of The Rural School of Arts and build initial guest spaces for the school
A total raise of £900,000
An amount made up from donations; Sponsorships, Dreamer donations, of larger and smaller sums, Seed donations, of £200 each; and Partnerships, with aligned individuals and organisations who would like to see the vision flourish.
Seeds needed for the land acquisition of The People’s Forest (updated weekly)
2484 people make a £200 seed donation
We have now raised a total of 466 seeds towards the land (from the initial 3000 seeds needed)
Supporters
So far we have raised a total of £93,000
Part of this has been paid as an initial deposit securing the land from being presented to developers.
To receive the investors deck and governance document email
info@sasaworks.co.uk
Donations
All donations will be received by ILha ltd 16577859, a not-for-profit company registered in England and Wales, established in service to the vision of the Rural School of Arts & The People’s Forest. We are currently in the process of setting up a Portuguese Association to parter with the UK company. All amounts received are in service of the vision. In the event that we are not able to reach our target by Spring 2026, all donors will have the choice on whether their donation is returned to them, or used to create the Rural School of Arts in a new iteration.
Seeds
A donation of £200 buys a single seed, moving us one step closer to the Rural School of Arts and the People’s Forest. This Seed is a token, enabling you to be part of this creative community, enabling you to visit and be acknowledged on the land.
Seeds can also be bought and dedicated in name of others. Be in touch for more information.
Dreamers
An invitation to dream with us. We welcome donations large and small on the journey to making this vision a reality. With every dream donation we move closer to the future we envision for this land. Dreamers, with donations of larger amounts have the opportunity to become a unique part of the cultural programming of the School. Be in touch for more information.
Partnerships
We welcome alignment with individuals and organisations who share our values, and who would like to see the vision flourish.
Contact : info@sasaworks.co.uk
Sponsors
If you would like to explore a broader relationship with The Rural School you might like to consider becoming a sponsor to one of our programmes or a guest house. These programmes offer unique experience to get closer to the working practice and cultural community.
Contact : info@sasaworks.co.uk
How these initial funds will be used
Year one expenditure
Year 1 (2026)
Total: £731,000
Land Acquisition€500,000 Remaining amount needed to buy the land (April 2026)
Guest Space Build: Materials + Teaching £100,000 Elemental guest space construction beginning of Living Crafts programme teaching fees
Specialist Design & Build £20,000 Design & specialist construction time
Culinary / Soil-to-Soul Program£10,000 Chef catering, herb garden planting, soil-to-soul program
Infrastructure £30,000 Water storage, paths, access, equipment
Ecological Stewardship £20,000 Lower scrub clearance
Marketing & Storytelling £5,000 Early brand development
Sacred Route Mapping £5,000 Mapping sacred experience trails
Videography. £5,000 Filming workshops & programs
Renewable Energy Systems £36,000 Off-grid sustainable infrastructure
Year two Expenditure
Year 2 (2027)
Total: £169,000
Ecological Stewardship £15,000 Lower scrub clearance
Cultural Integration £25,000 Village cultural programme and harvest celebrations
Living Craft Teaching Programme. £48,000 Specialist teachers: stonemasons, carpenters, craft masters
Main Learning House Materials £38,000 Materials for teaching house rebuild
Specialist Design & Build £23,000 Design and guest space build time
Marketing £5,000 Outreach & brand growth
Videography £5,000 Documentation
Culinary / Soil-to-Soul £10,000 Chef + craft food programme
This region in Portugal currently has a unique pastoral landscape and stands at a threshold of change. The land prices in this part of Portugal have hugely increased in the last 3 years, because of its fertile soils, micro climate and access to water. As a result the price of land is now favouring industrial farming investors. Or large scale solar projects led by oil companies.
In the region developers are valuing land at 35 Thousand Euros per hectare. We were able to negotiate a lower price of 25 Thousand per hectare. The land measures 24 hectares, including, two ruins with licences, water wells a river and a range of habitats, from rocky outcrops, native forest, of cork oak, oak and ash to flat pasture land.
context to land prices
I have donated to this project:
“because it is a unique possibility to save an ancient landscape”