On 13 December Dartington and the staff and students of ‘On Track’ training, will be celebrating the first successful term of Forest School activity on Dartington land – with a campfire fry-up in their woodland classroom.
The students, who are aged between 11-17, will be joined in their alfresco fry-up by the mayor of Totnes David Horsburgh, who said, “Forest School is a groundbreaking approach to outdoor play, learning and education. I am delighted to be able to take part in this celebration and see all the work the students have been doing over the last 13 weeks.”
On Track Training is Dartington’s first successful Land Scope initiative, using Trust woodland as a classroom where young adults (with limited exposure to the countryside) can learn outdoor development skills, such as coppicing, fire management, bench and shelter building – along with the more creative pursuits of clay modelling and land art.
One of the students involved in the course said, “I thought making the five-minute fire and having to cook an egg on it was well cool – it’s helped me improve my skills and know how dangerous fire can be”
As part of the Land Scope initiative ‘On Track Training’ have been given full run of the Dartington Peak Plantation woods, located near the Cott Inn. This means the students have a secure outdoor space, where they can safely use the excellent range of natural resources to create permanent structures and artwork.
Julie Richardson Director of Land Scope says, “Dartington is famous for its significant inroads into progressive education, ecology and social justice and the work of ‘On Track’ training perfectly encapsulates all of these areas – while meeting the sustainable vision of the Land Scope project.”
Members of the press are invited to join staff and students for the fry-up in the forest on Thursday 13th at 1.30pm, where there will be lots of great photo and interview opportunities. Just make sure you tell us you’re coming – so we can get the sausages in.
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The Dartington Hall Trust is a registered charity no. 279756. Company no. 1485560. Registered Office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL United Kingdom. Telephone 01803 847000; Fax 01803 847007;