Children to go on Woodland Re-tree-t

Dunbar Community Council, who distribute part of Community Windpower’s Aikengall Wind Farm community benefit fund, have pledged £1,500 to fund the 27 spaces for children to attend the Wilder Outdoor Education CIC’s Forest School.

Founded in 2021 by Diane Christopherson, Wilder Outdoor Education works with schools and community organisations to provide a range of forest school programmes, coastal learning and curriculum led outdoor learning for children. In addition to this, Wilder offer a programme of holiday adventure camps for 7 – 14 year old’s.

This funding will allow for families in receipt of free school meals to access these sessions for free, making the Wilder adventure programme, at Lochend Woods, accessible to all and not the few.

The programme which has been running since 2021 has been able to offer fully funded spaces to Dunbar Ward pupils who have already attended forest school, either through Dunbar or other local schools. This is in keeping with Wilder’s long term vision of and providing regular sessions in the natural environment, building relationships, and offering volunteering opportunities to those in the community.

A previous pupil who attended the forest school programme said, “When at forest school I am always outside and in nature – at home I always play indoors”.

After the Covid-19 pandemic and numerous lockdowns the Wilder Forest Outdoor Education Forest school is allowing for pupils to get back out into the outdoors which can promote their physical and mental health as well as developing their communication and social skills.

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