Pensdell Woods

Aim

To raise enough funds to complete our planning permission for this woodland and open a new Forest School site in Basinsgstoke.

Muddy Puddle Club CIC offers Forest School Sessions and Outdoor learning programmes across Hampshire and Berkshire. We have been offering sessions in the area for the past 6 years. All of our sessions are run by trained and experienced practitioners to provide meaningful and regular opportunities to create emotional connections with nature.

For the past 4 years we have been looking for a site in the South of Basingstoke to expand our provision and safeguard the future of our programmes. We would use the space to provide forest school sessions which use play, managed risk taking and child centred strategies to connect learners with nature, including managing woodland spaces, creating and protecting habitats, conserving nature whilst forging life long emotional connections with the natural world.

We were offered use of Pensdell Wood a couple of years ago by the landowner of Herriard estate and the woodland offers the perfect opportunity for helping an ancient woodland recover at the same time as creating a community, connected with nature, in the woods. 

After a long drawn out process the planning officer recommended refusal of our planning permission for change of use which was overturned by unanimous vote by the planning committee who recognised that our work within the woods would benefit both the woodland and children enormously. 

Now we need to raise funds to provide the reports required to discharge the planning permission so that we can open this wonderful woodland, increase biodiversity and connect people with nature.  

This project successfully funded on 8th April 2020