Features / KNowle West
Forest school to open in Knowle West
Knowle West Health Association’s Let’s Grow Community Allotment is a ‘green haven’ with its orchard, vegetable patch and polytunnels. And soon it will also be home to a forest school, with an overgrown, unused part of the allotment being transformed into one.
Allotment tutor Robyn Riddoch is leading on the forest school project. “I think it could be a nice little space to have a firepit, mud kitchen and outdoor activities,” she says.
“We can already do food growing education and bits of nature-based stuff, but now we can start doing bush crafting and whittling.”
is needed now More than ever
The 1.3 acre Let’s Grow Community Allotment is part of the Springfield Allotments and has been running since 2012. It is at the top of the Northern Slopes, giving it a view over Bristol.
Allotment tutor Robyn sees the forest school development as her ‘winter project’. Photo by Charlie Watts
The forest school project has got funding from the Aviva Community Fund, and the plan is for it to start being used in February/March next year with a mix of paid and free sessions.
“I don’t want to put something out there and it not be what is needed,” says Robyn.
“I do want to make sure that we make something useful out of this space for the people that live around here.”
The forest school will form part of the Let’s Grow Community Allotment in Knowle West. Photo by Charlie Watts
The forest school will support children with activities such as shelter building and fire making; building their resilience, confidence and teamwork skills.
“I just think the more outdoor spaces there are to do these kind of things, the better – and the more young people we can reach,” says Robyn.
A group of young people from Urban Pursuit have been helping with some of the clearing and digging for the forest school, and others have already been showing an interest in it.
The Let’s Grow Community Allotment has a view across Bristol. Photo by Charlie Watts
“I think a lot of people are starting to discover the benefits and the merits of spending time outdoors and spending time outdoors with kids,” says Robyn.
“And with kids being back in school now, there’s a need for them to have a kind of respite or space to just run around and play and be free.”
To get involved with the forest school, email Robyn at allotment@knowlewesthealthassoc.org.uk
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo by Charlie Watts
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