Contact Us
Log In
The teams spent the day at Rutland Farm Park in Oakham helping out local community interest company, Root and Branch Out, run by Alex Wilby and Claire Crowley.
How does Root and Branch Out support the community?
With a mission to nurture community through nature, Alex and Claire set up the company in 2016 to help gain funding for various community and educational projects.
They run local projects in Rutland such as a Forest School, a community allotment and a surplus food café for a local primary school. They also support people in Rutland wanting to grow their own produce, and they will soon be running a wellbeing workshop in the woods.
How did our team get on?
There were 22 members who took part, all from the Content & Curriculum Team, and Artists.
They started the day off in the community allotment, clearing away a year’s worth of overgrown brambles and weeds, making a lot more space for the local projects and community groups, so they can utilise this space for growing vegetables.
The teams then moved down to the Victorian arboretum where the Forest School is based. They have already created a wonderful space for children and young people to enjoy nature and learn lots of new skills.
Two team members, Pat and Rhi, cleared some space behind the seating area to create a fantastic new log store for the campfire made from old pallets. Others, including Sam, Tom, Alex, and Sam, dug out some huge holes and set large posts in the concrete creating an anchor to attach a tarpaulin shelter in the not-so-nice weather.
Everyone did a fantastic job moving a LOT of bark to create flooring in an area for tools. Jane and Liz constructed a horse in the woodland from old branches, complete with twig mane and tail, and bridle for the children to enjoy, and also built up a deadwood hedge alongside the stream that runs through the woods to create a visual barrier to the water for safety.
Everyone had a wonderful day working together and having fun creating some amazing spaces for children to discover, play and learn in!
Thanks again to the hosts, Alex and Claire, for their hospitality and for enabling us to get involved in the fantastic work that they do!
