Nant-Y-Cwm Steiner School Kindergarten Build

Aim

We are raising money to build a sustainable kindergarten space, for more children and families to access our nature based sessions.

We need to raise £50,000 and thanks to Aviva matched funding, every pound (up to £250 per person) you give will be doubled.

Who are we, and what is our project about?

Nant-Y-Cwm Steiner School is a small nature-based Steiner school nestled in Llanycefn, Pembrokeshire. We provide education for children aged 3 to 14 and offer family groups for younger children and their parents.

Rooted in the Steiner ethos, our approach nurtures the whole child — head, heart and hands — through creativity, imagination, rhythm and connection to the natural world. We believe that learning begins with a sense of wonder and develops through meaningful experience, community and care for the environment.

Our school is growing organically, as healthy things do, and now we find ourselves at an important threshold.

The need we're meeting

Our project addresses climate change by creating a low-carbon, renewable-energy kindergarten that embeds sustainability into everyday life.

We're ready to build a new kindergarten. The new building will use locally sourced timber, hempcrete and natural insulation, cutting embodied carbon by more than half. Solar energy, passive solar design and rainwater harvesting will reduce operational emissions and conserve resources.

Children and families will experience sustainable living first-hand, through gardening, seasonal rhythms and hands-on care. Rooted in our Steiner ethos, learning awakens environmental awareness through lived experience.

This building will stand as a living model of climate-conscious design, inspiring the community to live lighter on the earth and help raise a generation that cares deeply for the Earth.

Our new kindergarten building is the first step in an ambitious plan to extend our provision to age 16 by building an Upper School. 

Currently, our kindergarten children are spread across three separate spaces. While each group has its own rhythm and warmth, we know how much the children would gain from coming together: the richness of a larger community, the flow between indoor and outdoor play, and the sense of belonging to something whole.

This building will bring our three kindergarten groups together into one nurturing home. It will also free up our current Orchard classroom, which will become part of our future Upper School as we work toward offering Steiner education all the way to age 16.

This is the first step in that longer journey, and it's one we need to take now.

A building that holds our values

This new kindergarten will be more than a functional space. It will be a living example of what we believe.

The building will be made from locally sourced, renewable materials. It will be powered by solar energy, designed to work with the seasons rather than against them, with natural light, warmth and ventilation that respond to the rhythms of the year.

Most importantly, it will create a threshold between indoors and outdoors, so children can move freely between shelter and sky, between focused work and imaginative play in the natural world.

Through daily experience in this space, children will absorb what it means to live sustainably — not through instruction, but through being held by a building that cares for the earth. They'll learn that beauty and responsibility can live together, and that we can create warmth and comfort while treading lightly on the planet.

How your support will make a difference

We're asking our community — parents, alumni, friends and supporters — to help us raise £50,000 over the next six weeks.

Thanks to matched funding from Aviva, every pound you donate becomes two pounds. And if you're a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid adds an extra 25%.

That means a gift of £250 could become £562.50 — just from one donation.

Your contribution, whatever you can offer, will help us:

• Fully fund the construction of the new kindergarten
• Create a low-carbon building that honours both children and planet
• Take the first step toward our Upper School vision
• Welcome more families into our nature-based community

Whether you can give £50 or £500, your support matters. Every gift helps us move closer to breaking ground.

Why it matters

This is more than bricks and mortar.

It's about creating a nurturing, beautiful space for the youngest children in our community — a place where imagination can unfold, where creativity is honoured, and where connection to the natural world is woven into every day.

It's about building foundations, not just for a structure, but for a full Steiner education that will carry children through to age 16.

And it's about showing — through example rather than words — that schools can respond to the challenges of our time with creativity, care and quiet optimism. That we can build spaces that serve children while honouring the earth.

Without this building, we cannot grow to meet the need in our community. We cannot welcome the families who are seeking what we offer. And we cannot take the next step in our long-term vision.

By supporting this campaign, you’re helping to:

• Create a model for sustainable, nature-based early-years education
• Provide continuity of creative, child-centred learning in Pembrokeshire
• Strengthen a school community that values art, imagination, compassion and care for the planet

We have six weeks to make this real — and we need your help.

How you can help

Donate what you can — Every contribution brings us closer, and matched funding doubles your impact

Share our campaign — Spread the word to friends, family and your wider networks

Add Gift Aid — If you're a UK taxpayer, this boosts your donation by 25% at no extra cost to you

Cheer us on — Your encouragement helps us grow!

Let’s build the future together

This is just the beginning. With your help, we’ll create a beautiful, sustainable new space for our youngest learners — and take the first step toward a thriving Upper School.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Donate now and help us build the next chapter at Nant-Y-Cwm Steiner School.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made