Our Garden Forest scheme has provided free native shrubs/small trees in Shirehampton, Montpelier and Haydon this winter. This scheme promotes the benefits of trees, provides planting guidance and supports residents in taking local environmental action. It is also a great way of identifying tree planting projects which we can work with local communities to deliver.
More Garden Forest schemes will follow this winter in Bath and Avonmouth.
The Forest of Avon Trust has worked with local farmer Mr Clapp to help him secure grants from the Forestry Commission for improving his community woodland: Meadow Wood. Grants have helped pay for a new sign welcoming people in to the woodland and waymarkers and posts. A grant will also contribute towards annual management costs for five years.
Meadow Wood is a fantastic developing woodland in the Avon Valley, adjacent to the Monarch’s Way between Keynsham and Bitton. Walkers are welcome. General location here.
The Forest of Avon Trust is advising a number of woodland owners about the grants which are available for woodland management and public access, (as well as new planting). If you have a woodland, please contact Jon Clark on (0117) 963 3383 to discuss further and arrange a free site visit.
The following activity guides have been developed by Rachel Tomlinson for the Forest of Avon Trust to help groups and families to use their senses to explore and discover natural spaces that have trees growing in them. Whether it is a woodland, park or an open space with a few trees growing these activities can be used during a walk, picnic or as a more formal education session to learn about the natural world.
The first two activities relate to Kingsweston Estate in Northwest Bristol and are set out to be part of a walk to explore some the area around the house. However the spaces to play and explore guide has activities that could be used elsewhere. For more information about Kingsweston Estate, a public park based around a private house that has a cafe and hosts weddings and conferences, there is a new community website being developed.
Tree Treasure Hunt at Kingsweston Estate
Spaces to play and explore around Kingsweston Estate
Woodland Bingo – Natural Textures – page1
Woodland Bingo – Natural textures – page2
Woodland Bingo – Natural Shapes – page1
Woodland Bingo – Natural Shapes – page2
Woodland Bingo – Looking – page1
Woodland Bingo – Looking – page2
Some quiet time to reflect.
Children playing outdoors and groups being taken in to natural spaces is nothing new. Forest School in the UK has been developed over the last 15 years through influences from Scandinavia but also from a long history in the UK of groups playing and learning outside.
What is starting to develop now is a wealth of both informal and formal observations and case studies of the benefits of supporting groups of all ages to access nature. Anyone who has come across Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods will be more than convinced by the need to get children out in to green spaces. Over the last 10 years Forest Research, which is part of the Forestry Commission, has expanded its research to explore in detail the ways in which trees benefit wider society. The breadth of evidence presented by Forest Research of spending time in woodlands along with books such as Sara Knight’s Forest School for All helps to establish the importance of these experiences for all of us.
Common themes emerge from Richard Louv’s overview of global research and of the work of Sara Knight and researchers at Forest Research. Experiences in nature, particularly but not exclusively for children, have the potential to provide the following key benefits: Increased confidence; Increased social skills; Improved language and communication; Improved motivation and concentration; Improved physical fitness and ability and increased levels of interest in and concern for nature. An important point as highlighted by Richard Louv is that if society does value the benefits of spending time in the natural world then it is important that children develop a lasting and caring relationship for it as they will be its future stewards.
Locally the work of the Natural Connections project, at the Forest of Avon Trust, and Rowena Kenny, of Forest Foundations, have explored these themes through case study projects in the Bristol area.
Rowena’s in depth Exploratory Case Study of Forest School in the Early Years Foundation Stage and her wider work can be found online here.
Jon Attwood’s case study project in partnership with Twerton First Steps Nursery in B&NES can be downloaded here.
Exploring natural colours in the woods and creating a Natures Palette
Sessions run by Natural Connections to work with Adults with Learning Disabilities are being further developed through a new project ‘Into the Woods’. The development of a new partnership with the Silvanus Trust and the Faculty of Education at the University of Plymouth has made it possible to extend this work and explore in more detail the potential benefits. The project is being developed and run by Nicola Ramsden and Rachel Tomlinson for the Forest of Avon Trust and has three main aims:
Information and feedback will be collected before, during and after the six sessions being run with the groups, from Shirelink day care centre and City of Bristol College. A report will be produced evaluating ‘Into the Woods’ and findings will be used to inform best practice.
Rolls Royce has been a supporter of the Forest of Avon Trust since it started and this commitment and funding has been invaluable.
Rolls Royce apprentices, graduates and trainees are currently working with the Forest of Avon Trust on an access improvement project. This is establishing knowledge and use of the woodlands of the Kingsweston Estate by all sections of the local community and will make suggestions about how this can be cost- effectively improved.
The project aims to make a positive contribution to the to the people surrounding the Kingsweston Estate (owned by Bristol City Council) and also support the personal/ professional development of Rolls Royce staff.
More details to be posted shortly.
Crossway Infant School, Thornbury was the site of the 200th apple tree planted as part of the Mini Orchard project sponsored by Airbus. 
More »
What’s this you may well ask?
QR (Quick Response) Codes are a type of 2D barcode that when photographed by a camera phone the information acts as a URL and will take the user to its unique web site. These codes are becoming a more popular way of advertising web pages and can be found on business cards, products and vending machines. They have also been designed to help people with cognitive impairments.
To start to use this new high tech coding simply follow these guidelines and spread the word!
Bromley Heath School Downend Bristol
Callicroft School Patchway Bristol
On the 13th January Forest of Avon Trust patron and BBC The One Show regular Mike Dilger joined the children of St Keyna’s School, Keynsham to plant the latest school mini-orchard. More »
