About Us
Bringing people together through creativity, play and community
World Jungle is about possibility.
We create opportunities for people to try something new, connect with others and grow. Through creativity, play and participation, we help people build confidence and relationships, contributing to stronger communities.
Whether it is a child learning circus skills, a young person finding their voice, a family exploring the outdoors or neighbours celebrating beneath our Big Top, we create spaces where people can connect, experience something new and see what possibilities emerge.
Creativity changes people. Connected people change communities.
Founded in 2006, World Jungle has spent 20 years bringing people together through creative projects, youth activities, festivals, wellbeing programmes and community initiatives.
Our Mission & Vision
Our mission is to bring people together to support healthy lives, care for the planet and build stronger communities by creating inspiring opportunities for creativity, fun, play and connection.
What guides us
Community: We bring people together, create a sense of belonging and respect everyone for who they are.
Creativity and culture: We use music, movement, arts and play to open up new experiences and celebrate the diversity of cultures across the world.
Participation: We create opportunities for people to join in, contribute their ideas and become more actively involved in their communities.
People and planet: We recognise that healthy lives, strong communities and care for the natural world are closely connected.
Our Story
World Jungle's story began in 2000, when co-founders Jane Manning and Ben Ward received a Millennium Award funded by the National Lottery.
The award took Jane and Ben to Ghana, where they learned about African dance and drumming, local culture and a village's traditional approaches to sustainable living. On returning, they shared what they had learned with students at City of Bristol College and at Sort It, an international environmental festival. The experience ignited a passion for using creativity and culture to bring people together.
World Jungle was founded in 2006. Over the following 20 years, the organisation has grown and changed, but its central purpose has remained consistent: creating opportunities for people to connect, participate and experience something new.
Twenty Years of World Jungle
2000 Jane and Ben received a National Lottery Millennium Award and travelled to Ghana to learn about culture, music, dance and traditional sustainable practices.
2006 World Jungle was formally established.
2007 We established a cultural artist agency, sending artists into schools to teach dance, drumming and art from around the world. This included bringing Adolf and Odai from Ghana to teach African dance and drumming in schools across Gloucestershire and Bristol. Watch the video
2008 We expanded our youth and play activities in Dursley and established a youth forum so young people could speak about what mattered to them. We also received three-year funding from the National Lottery Playful Ideas programme to celebrate play from around the world and train playworkers to use play to explore diversity.
2009 We established the Diverse Artist Network, supporting cultural artists across the South West through employment support, training and networking.
2010 We secured £40,000 to develop a park in Dursley. Working with young people, we helped create a youth shelter, BMX track and play area. We also launched Summer off the Streets, a holiday activity programme funded by Cotswold District Council.
2011 Our Global Play project received national recognition for using play to bridge cultures and bring people together. Explore Global Play videos
2012 We joined a European Erasmus programme exploring how film and creativity could help engage adults in education. We visited Austria, Germany, Hungary and Italy and built new international partnerships.
2013 With support from the People's Health Trust, we ran programmes in Cam and Dursley for children struggling at school and for older people living in care homes, helping them remain connected to wider community life.
2016 We won the Stroud Life Business Award for our community work.
2017 Our programme of community classes across Gloucestershire included Zumba, yoga, Pilates, FitSteps and Bellyfit. More than 250 people attended each week, alongside our monthly Coco Club night.
2018 Jane was runner-up for Gloucestershire Woman of the Year in recognition of her community work.
2020 We established the Cotswold Youth Network to increase opportunities for children and young people across the Cotswolds. Its work has included youth clubs, inclusive activities, mentoring and support to strengthen the local youth sector. The National Lottery awarded £380,000 to develop the network over three years.
2021 We co-led the development of the Department for Education Holiday Activities and Food programme with Gloucestershire County Council and Cotswold District Council. Watch the HAF video
2022 We began delivering the schools programme for St Paul's Carnival, the South West's largest African Caribbean carnival, working with Bristol schoolchildren on dance and drumming for the street procession.
2024 The National Lottery provided further support to continue our work with children, young people and communities across the Cotswolds. Watch the video
2025 Across the summer, we supported 2,000 children and young people to access positive activities and ran more than 25 events across Gloucestershire.
2026 World Jungle celebrated its 20th anniversary and continued developing creative, playful and community-based opportunities across Gloucestershire.
Meet The Team
Ben Ward
Elisabeth Winkler
Jane Manning
Lorna Fowkes
Richard Davis
Stasia Shearer Manning
Victoria Johnsen