It has been announced that Elmstead Market is to feature a natural woodland learning area, as part of a plan to create a new native broadleaf woodland on the 105 acre site recently purchased by the Woodland Trust.
The learning area will be situated within 15 acres funded by TK Maxx from profits generated by an initiative to reduce the use of plastic carrier bags.
Since August 2008, customers have been asked to pay for carrier bags leading to a 73% reduction in the number of bags used. All profits are donated to the Woodland Trust.
The learning area will feature a diverse range of trees, plants and shrubs as well as a bubbling brook, creating habitats for various forms of wildlife. This will give nearby schools the opportunity to incorporate local fieldwork and practical learning into their curriculum, as well as teacher training. The area sits near to the archaeological remains of an Early to Middle Iron Age farmstead giving it important historical relevance.
The Year Five and Six pupils of Elmstead Primary School will have the opportunity to submit designs for a natural structure to be built and after their visit, the schoolchildren will be tasked with putting forward ideas for how the learning area will look as part of their curriculum next year. One winning design entry will then be selected.
Once constructed, the area will be available for local schools to use throughout the year, as will the new woodland.
Clive Middleditch, headmaster of Elmstead Primary school, said: “We are really excited to be working with the Woodland Trust and TK Maxx on this development as it is an opportunity for us to extend our commitment to the environment, and teach our children the importance of what is around them.”
John Brown, from the Woodland Trust, said: “Support of organisations like TK Maxx is crucial to this project and I really want to thank them for their involvement. TK Maxx has given a great boost to the Trust’s woodland creation plans for Elmstead, and the addition of a special outdoor learning area for local schools has brought an exciting and novel dimension to the site.”
TK Maxx is committed to helping the Woodland Trust continue to protect and restore its native woods and has supported the charity since 2004 through projects such as the Woodland Trust Christmas Card Recycling Scheme.