Plenty happening at Avon
Tyrrell over the last few weeks, and happily it’s all been positive good stuff.
We have enhanced the off-road cycling facilities for
young people and the local community with the £8,000 raised at last summers’
annual ‘Big Bike Bash’ and a recent £2,000 grant from the New Forest National
Park Authority. The money has been
invested in improving existing sections of bike trails and new decking in our ‘north-shore’
area, as well as a fleet of new bikes and training for instructors who cater to
growing demand for biking skills sessions.
We have just finished 2 amazing
Forest School programmes, which were part funded, one through Hampshire County Council and the other through Wettons
Bursary.
A group of Year 8 students from
Mountbatten school in Romsey participated in a 6 week programme. During this time they learnt
how to light fires, build dens, track animals and most of all play in the
woods. They learnt a great deal and their confidence grew each week. 
Jack and Jill’s pre-school from
Bransgore also took part in a 6 week programme. This group was the youngest we
have had at Forest School and all of the staff loved working with them. The freedom of playing in the
woods was the biggest highlight for all of the children. They loved climbing trees and
role playing in the woods and each week the Name Tree would give them a Tree
Cookie with their name on (so we couldn’t forget their names!) We spent lots of time exploring
and using our senses as well as using well known children books such as ‘We’re
going on a bear hunt’ and ‘Stick Man’ to keep the children engaged.
And a Thought;- maybe just maybe if more young people had been given opportunities like Jack & Jill's at such an early age then perhaps some young peoples life paths may have been more positive, as after all our early years experiences shape our future.
Work is now well under way to
replace our zip wire tree with a pole due to fungi damage to the tree. We hope to have it all up and running and
independently safety checked within the next couple of weeks. The Zip Wire remains an exciting ride across our
small lake and you can even learn to calculate your speed of travel.
And I have no idea why blogger makes these pictures go sideways.....
We also recently ran in partnership
with HCC two overnight events for families who have a young family
member with a disability. These Inspiring You events were well attended and
very successful, inspiring all who attended to enjoy the outdoors and participate in activities they would not normally do or have the confidence to do. We will be running
more of these events throughout the year and if you are interested in attending
please contact us and we will happily discuss with you what we are doing and when.
And finally yet another member
of staff after the Bosses Chair…….. definitely has a more friendly smile
You are most welcome to visit
and see what we are up to or to find out more about Avon Tyrrell Outdoor
Activity Centre and the many varied opportunities we offer please contact us on
Tel; 01425 672347 or email info@ukyouth.org or
view our website www.avontyrrell.org.uk
Remember… experience – learn – develop
Remember… experience – learn – develop
