New forest school in Doncaster gets the green light to go ahead with significant funding boost

By Laura Andrew
Published 24th Nov 2020, 12:30 BST
Updated 25th Nov 2020, 06:47 BST
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A new project aims to combine nature and education whilst significantly improving the landscape of a derelict area in Doncaster by developing a new forest school which will be a free resource for the public to use.

Edlington Town Council has received £52,660 from the FCC Communities Foundation to start work on a community project which involves transforming a green space in the area.

The project will be focused on developing a forest school which will be built at the Edlington Community Woodland adjoining onto Martinwells Lake.

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Councillor Robert Reid said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the people of Edlington.

Coun Robert Reid with children from Edlington school Sir Thomas Wharton Academy back in 2018 when the project first launched.Coun Robert Reid with children from Edlington school Sir Thomas Wharton Academy back in 2018 when the project first launched.
Coun Robert Reid with children from Edlington school Sir Thomas Wharton Academy back in 2018 when the project first launched.

“I have seen the mind boggling amount of work that has been necessary to get to this stage and was immensely proud to officially open the project as Mayor of Edlington two years ago with pupils from Sir Thomas Wharton Academy.

“The forest school will be a total game changer for our young people and encourage, motivate, engage and inspire them through positive outdoor experiences.”

Their aim is to get more young people learning outdoors and for the space to also serve as a meeting place for members of the community.

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The area will have 16 limestone picnic benches and three carved limestone monoliths designed by the primary schools in Edlington.

The old allotments and rubbish have been removed to create a green space.The old allotments and rubbish have been removed to create a green space.
The old allotments and rubbish have been removed to create a green space.

This section will be able to be used as an outdoor classroom for school visits as well as picnics and rest stops for dog walkers and ramblers.

The limestone for the outdoor area will match the native outcrop which already exists within the Edlington woodlands but will be sprayed with special sealant to ensure graffiti can be washed away easily.

Funding will also go towards plants and flowers to enhance the natural beauty of the site.

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FCC Communities Foundation is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund.

This is the park currently - free of rubbish.This is the park currently - free of rubbish.
This is the park currently - free of rubbish.

The entire project has been funded through grants and gifted donations, with no town council budget being used for this woodland transformation.

Previously the woodland housed an abandoned allotment site which had overgrown and become a dumping ground for fly tippers.

Linda Smith, town councillor and chair of the Community Woodland Project, said: “Before we started the area was not accessible to the general public.

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“The brambles were home to old green houses filled with asbestos and overgrown with vegetation.

There will be an outdoor classroom area made of limestone that is native to the woodland.There will be an outdoor classroom area made of limestone that is native to the woodland.
There will be an outdoor classroom area made of limestone that is native to the woodland.

“Now we have a nice green space where wildlife such as deer, rabbits and pheasants roam freely.”

Most of the brambles have been removed but a small section has been left untouched to make sure that animals living among the old allotments have not been displaced.

Reforestation is a big aim of the project and there are plans to plant 20 British trees such as oak, hazel and sycamore to encourage wildlife and insect populations to return to the area.