A MUM of three took her family ‘off grid’ to live in woods near Nailsworth as part of the recent climate change protests.

Rather than join Extinction Rebellion protesters in London during their planned two week Autumn Uprising campaign, Ellie Sumpter decided to create her own ‘alternative Earth Strike’.

Ellie, 37, chose to live in a homemade bender shelter with her children Ivy, 12, Soul, 10, and Osho, 2, plus two dogs and a chicken, to show solidarity with the activists for the duration of their fortnight-long campaign.

To begin with, Ellie built a simple shelter consisting of a framework of hazel branches covered with tarpaulins and camouflage netting.

Then inside she installed a wood burning stove, beds and shelving and lined the walls with fabrics, creating a cosy interior.

Outside she made a camp kitchen, where all cooking was done on wood fires, with fuel collected from the surrounding woodland.

After a couple of days Ivy left the camp to stay with a friend, and then the Extinction Rebellion activists were barred from the capital on October 14.

But Ellie and the rest of her family enjoyed the experience so much they stayed for the full two weeks, and then an extra five days on top, only packing up on Friday.

Ellie, who runs a business creating beautiful environments from natural and recycled materials for festivals and events, has lived in Cam for the past two years, but has also spent many years living in converted vehicles.

Now, inspired by her latest venture in the woods, she is planning to take her family around the UK in a horse-drawn wagon to promote a carbon neutral lifestyle.

Ellie is looking for sponsorship and admin support for the project. Anyone who would like to help can get in touch via: surrealspaces@gmail.com