About
Built for men who carry a lot, quietly.
Men's wellbeing, run properly, in Hampshire.
The story
From personal practice
to shared space.
Simple, repeatable and mostly outdoors.
NERVA started out of need. A long stretch of being switched on, holding too much, and slowly noticing what it was costing.
What actually helped was never dramatic. Cold water. Open fire. Time by still water. Walking with men who don't need you to perform. Breath and stillness when everything else is loud.
We are not therapists and we are not coaches. We set up the conditions, run the session properly, and then get out of the way so you can do the work yourself.
Founder
Built by someone who needed it.
This part is honest, and it mentions suicidal thoughts. It is here because someone reading it is probably in the same place.
Founder & Host
Taylor
A few years ago I was running a struggling business, with a young family at home and a newborn daughter who was unwell for most of her first year. On the outside I was holding it together. Underneath I was contemplating ending my life, and seriously weighing up medication I knew in my gut wasn't the answer for me.
There wasn't much waiting for me when I asked for help. The NHS route was thin. The usual places came up empty. So I went looking. Cold water. Heat. Breath. Stillness. Time outside. The company of other men who weren't trying to fix me. Slowly, piece by piece, I built something that actually worked.
NERVA is everything I gathered in that search, brought under one banner for the men who are quietly somewhere I used to be. Every session is run by me personally. No gurus. No polished wellness persona. Just someone who has been there and built something real on the way back.
If you are struggling right now, a session is not a substitute for support. We work alongside Fillip Counselling and Man Down, and we will point you their way if that is what you need. In a crisis, call 999 or Samaritans on 116 123.
Principles
What we hold to, and what we leave at the gate.
Regulation first
Environment, structure and simplicity before anything else.
Men only, where it counts
Core sessions are built around what men actually carry.
Nothing forced
No performance, no sharing circle, no identity to adopt.
Grounded, not soft
Lived experience, backed by evidence-based practice.
All core sessions are men only. Pop-ups and community events are open to everyone, mixed gender.
What we actually run
Three ways in.
Base
Headlands Farm,
Hampshire.
Core sessions run at our Hampshire base, a quiet working space well away from town noise. Outdoor events move around Hampshire, Wiltshire and West Sussex with the seasons. The Pop-Up travels across the South of England and sets up at your venue.
The place matters. So does the fire, the light and how the space feels when you walk in. The environment does most of the work.
Headlands Farm, West Wellow
Community partners
The people we stand alongside.
New Forest Tea Company
NERVA sessions often close around a cup of tea. The New Forest Tea Company supports selected sessions by providing blends that suit the seasons and restorative tone of our work.
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Fillip Counselling
NERVA is not therapy. We recognise that structured group work is not always enough on its own. Where appropriate, NERVA may signpost individuals toward professional one-to-one support with Philip Bird, a qualified counsellor working locally.
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Man Down
Man Down is a men's mental health charity focused on reducing isolation through in-person connection. NERVA shares a similar belief in the importance of men gathering together in real spaces.
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Blue6
Blue6 builds software for martial arts gyms and fight nights, made by a fighter who knows the gym is where a lot of men go to clear their heads. They have committed a portion of revenue to men's mental health organisations, a belief we share.
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