A former city banker who quit his day job so he could run a mushroom wellness centre is at war with his neighbours – after they branded his business a 'hobby'.
uncertain
they → quit → business
Jon Wright, 44, relocated to the Hampshire countryside with his family during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Wright → relocate → pandemic
His wife, Holly, set up multiple businesses on the land based around nature and 'wellness'.
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wife → set → nature
These included a mushroom cultivation venture called Myndful Mushrooms, a sauna, a plunge pool, and a forestry school which educates children about nature.
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which → include → nature
Mr and Mrs Wright, their ten-year-old daughter, dog and cat currently live inside a large geodesic dome on the land near Winchester.
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Wright → live → Winchester
However, they are now fighting to keep their livelihood after they were told to lodge a retrospective planning application to continue working and living on the land.
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they → fight → land
Neighbours have since objected to their home on traffic grounds – amid claims 'there is no need for them to live on agricultural land to support a hobby'.
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them → object → hobby
One local resident, Catherine Hawkins, said in her objection: 'There is no evidence that the Myndful Mushrooms "business" is, or will ever be a financially viable business, it certainly isn't at the moment, even though it has been running for some years now.
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it → say → years
Jon Wright (pictured), 44, relocated to the Hampshire countryside with his family during the Covid–19 pandemic
'
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Wright → picture → pandemic
Therefore, there is no need for them to live on agricultural land, to support a hobby.
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them → be → hobby
'With all these businesses operating, the use of the track by vehicles has increased substantially.
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use → operate → vehicles
So the businesses are having a negative effect on the area.'
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businesses → have → area
In 2023, Mr Wright applied for planning permission to live and work on the land but it was rejected – despite having over 30 messages from people supporting the application.
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it → apply → application
The family recently submitted a retrospective planning application to Winchester City Council so they could continue their mushroom business and also build a lodge on the land to officially live in.
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they → submit → land
But they have since faced several objections from neighbours who insist the home is creating excess traffic and that it is not viable.
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it → face → traffic
Mr Wright had moved his family from Hertfordshire to the outskirts of the picturesque village of South Wonston, near Winchester, during the Covid pandemic.
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Wright → move → pandemic
Then a banker, the company Mr Wright worked for suffered financial difficulties.
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Wright → work → difficulties
Mushrooms from Jon and Holly Wright's company, Myndful Mushrooms, on the off-grid site Jolly Moon in South Wonston, are seen here
He said: 'We were pretty stuffed because the house we were in had a case of dry rot that our insurance didn't cover.
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insurance → see → that
We called Citizens Advice, and they said to go to a food bank.
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they → call → bank
Setting up on the land in South Wonston, Mr Wright and his family launched their Myndful Mushrooms and JollyMoon businesses.
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Wright → set → businesses
He said that as a mushroom farmer, he grows functional mushrooms used for health benefits to the gut, skin and mental wellbeing.
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he → say → gut
He said he uses an ex-supermarket refrigerated lorry to cultivate mushrooms in an environment that imitates their natural growing conditions.
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that → say → conditions
Mr Wright added he was able to buy the lorry for £400, despite being valued at £2,600.
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he → add → 2,600
He explained he cultivates Lion's Mane, which can help people focus and has also been used to help with early-onset Alzheimer's; Reishi, which is good for hormone regulation and can be calming; and Chaga, which is good for sleep.
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which → explain → sleep
The site also has a sauna and cold plunge, called the Sauna Works, which they said feeds into the relaxation they try to provide on the site.
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they → have → site
Mr Wright said the family grow their own food in the kitchen garden and they have homeschooled their daughter since moving to the site.
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they → say → site
Their forestry school, JollyMoon, helps bring 'families together in nature' and Mrs Wright teaches children about nature, he insisted.
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he → bring → nature
Defending his family's lifestyle, he said: 'There are certainly easier ways to live your life and making money across agriculture is not easy.
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making → defend → agriculture
'People are wanting to see change, but it is just a bit unnerving for people when it is in your neighbourhood.
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it → want → neighbourhood
'It is trying to fit a new system into an old pathway.
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It → try → pathway
There are many other people doing things with land but we are just doing it a little bit differently.
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we → be → it
'Sometimes it feels like we are the forest people, and that is what people say about us, but we are raising a child and we want to demonstrate to her that we can try to have an influence and making a footprint on it.
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we → feel → it
'People have said to us there is nothing like this in Winchester, it is so necessary.'
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it → say → Winchester
Mrs Wright claimed traffic would not be an issue as a private road is used for access to the site.
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road → claim → site
She added: 'We try to encourage people to lift share and cycle because we are right on the edge of the village.
'
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we → add → village
A lot of people if they come to events, they come in one car so it is not a big issue.
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it → come → car
We have got our own car park and this is a private road.
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this → get → park
It is up to us what traffic comes up here.'
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traffic → come → us
Mrs Wright said the family started their JollyMoon forestry school when their daughter was two years old.
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daughter → say → school
She said: 'I really didn't like going to church halls for messy play because I found it overwhelming, so I just wanted to bring mums together in nature and let the children be a little bit free range.
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children → say → nature
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
