Surrey Wildlife Trust has announced the opening of a brand new education centre for this spring, and is already taking bookings for school groups.
The new education centre is located in Nower Wood, near Leatherhead, and offers a programme of activities available to all Key Stages.
CPD sessions are also on offer, including Forest School training, professional development and science and conservation courses.
The new centre boasts three spacious heated classrooms, each with outdoor access, and can accommodate up to 90 students at any time of year.
School groups will be able to take part in a range of activities that explore the great outdoors, including pond-dipping, bug hunts, woodland crafts, Forest School sessions, tree identification, mammal studies and environmental surveys.
The woodland reserve on the doorstep of the centre also boasts a raised pond and minibeast habitat for wheelchair users, while an off-road buggy and sensory trail are said to ensure that everyone can get close to nature.
Further site highlights include video microscopes, underwater and bird box cameras for students to use, and a campfire area.
Aimée Clarke, the Trust’s director of education, said: “We hope to inspire around 15,000 people about the natural world every year, all of whom will go home with a new passion for wildlife and wild places. For some a visit to Nower Wood can be life-changing.”
The new £1.1m centre has been funded with a Heritage Lottery Fund grant and donations from Surrey Wildlife Trust members, local businesses and donors.
Book onto a CPD session
The Surrey Wildlife Trust is offering a free CPD outdoor learning workshop at Nower Wood for teachers on the afternoon of Friday 12th May.
A variety of outdoor learning activities will be explored, together with a tour of the new facilities to give teachers ideas to take back to school.
Visit surreywildlifetrust.org/whats-on to book your place.
For further information about the new centre and to book a school trip, visit surreywildlifetrust.org/outdoor-learning.
(Photo credit: GWP Architects).
