Six young people aged between 7 and 15, who have been attending a local Forest School run by Shared Earth Learning Co-op over the past year, completed a sponsored walk on Wednesday 8th July to raise money for We Hear You (WHY), a local organisation offering counselling to people affected by cancer.
Their walk from the Forest School site at Vallis Veg on the edge of Frome took them on a return trip through Vallis Vale woods along the footpaths to Mells, and raised £100 for their chosen charity.
Alex Hart, Forest School leader and co-director of Shared Earth Learning, said, “Some of the young people involved have had relatives affected by cancer, so it was a logical choice for them to nominate the charity for their fundraiser. But it’s a six mile walk there and back and no easy task for some of the young people to accomplish, as some had never walked that far before. It took the best part of the day including stops to watch crayfish, eat sandwiches and swing over the river on a rope swing, plus a visit to the Mells community shop for a promised ice-cream.”
Over the summer holidays, Shared Earth Learning will be continuing to offer twice weekly sessions for children and young people aged between 5 and 14 years old on Wednesdays, 29th July, 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th August, and Thursdays, 30th July, 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th August. Groups will be of up to 12 children and run by 2 experienced Forest school leaders and one assistant, and will have a range of measures in place to limit potential exposure to Covid-19.
Forest school sessions for children with additional needs, as advertised in the Community Inclusion and Activity Team Summer Activity Calendar, will also take place on Tuesdays 28th July, 11th & 25th August in much smaller groups. All places will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. To find out more about the Forest School summer holiday sessions, please contact Shared Earth Learning via email: sharedearthlearning@gmail.com or by phone: 07935 068254.
