Cornwall Council: Cornwall Climate and Nature Fund has provided £5,000 of match funding
Piccolo Orto Forest School and Market Garden
Helston, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Boost your impact
Your donation unlocks match funding
Aim: To fund a forest school & learning garden that brings community together through nature, growing food, and outdoor learning for all ages.
Piccolo Orto Growing Together Through Nature & Nourishment
Meet the Founder: Jenny
Hello! I’m Jenny – long time gardener, forest school practitioner in training & founder of Piccolo Orto, which means “Little Vegetable Garden” in Italian. After seven years working as a gardener, developing allotments and market gardens, and more recently in outdoor education lead within primary school - teaching hands-on skills, and helping children thrive outside traditional classrooms, I’ve launched this project to bring my local community together through the joy of growing food and connecting with nature.
I’ve seen firsthand the transformational impact that working the soil, lighting a fire, or simply sitting in a forest can have, especially for children and adults who feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or overlooked.
Now, I need your help to take this dream to the next level!
Our Mission
At Piccolo Orto Forest School & Garden, our mission is simple:
To cultivate community, confidence, and connection through nature, food, and forest learning.
We believe that getting outside, getting our hands in the soil, and working together can be powerful medicine—especially in a world where so many are feeling isolated, anxious, or digitally overwhelmed.
This project is designed to offer a safe, welcoming space for children and adults alike, where they can:
- Learn how to grow food using regenerative, no-dig methods
- Connect deeply with nature and the land around them
- Discover hands-on skills like whittling, weaving, foraging, and fire lighting
- Feel a sense of belonging, purpose, and peace
About the Site
We are incredibly lucky to be based on a certified organic farm and ecological project surrounded by stunning wildlife. The land here is alive with buzzards overhead, frogs and slow worms underfoot, deer in the distance, and red-list wildflowers blooming in the margins.
Because the site has organic certification, we grow in harmony with the land, using no-dig, chemical-free methods inspired by Charles Dowding (who even helped us get a garden into our local school!).
The garden and forest site together provide a unique opportunity: a place where the practical skills of growing food meet the holistic benefits of outdoor education.
A Day at Piccolo Orto
Here’s what a day might look like at our site:
🌞 Morning
You arrive at the market garden and settle in with a cup of tea around the table. We talk through the day’s plan—maybe sowing salad leaves, building compost bays, or harvesting kale and chard for lunch.
🌿 Late Morning
We get stuck into the work—tending the soil, planting, weeding, harvesting. There’s laughter, learning, and muddy hands.
🔥 Lunchtime
We take our harvest and walk a few minutes into the woods. There, we gather fallen wood, light a fire, and boil water in the Kelly kettle. We eat and rest around the fire circle under the trees.
🎨 Afternoon
The forest becomes our classroom: whittling, den building, cooking on the fire, natural dyeing, storytelling, weaving, learning the names of plants and trees. We wind down feeling grounded, nourished, and calm.
“Harvest & Huddle” Sessions
We’re launching Harvest & Huddle sessions for children aged 3–16. These gentle, seasonal sessions will give young ones a space to explore, get muddy, and learn through doing. Perfect for homeschoolers, SEND learners, or anyone needing a little more nature in their lives.
- Why This Matters
Your support goes far beyond building sheds and buying tools. It helps us:
- Provide outdoor learning for children who struggle in traditional classrooms
- Reconnect families to food, land, and seasonal rhythms
- Support mental health and wellbeing through nature-based therapy
- Offer hands-on, low-cost experiences in a time of rising isolation and cost of living pressure
- Promote organic, regenerative food-growing techniques
- Create a sanctuary for biodiversity and community healing
What We Need to Fund
To bring this project fully to life, we need to raise £15,000 to cover:
Items -
- A Yurt - A cosy, welcoming space for group sessions in all weather.
- A lockable shed - To safely store tools and materials
- Tools for Adults and Children - so everyone can participate in growing, building, and learning
- Fencing & Crop protection - To keep our market garden safe from wildlife
- Wheel barrows and Growing supplies - To help Children and Families grow food to take home
- A forest school canopy - So sessions can go ahead rain or shine
- Forest school Supplies - For creativity, safety and skill-building
You’ll be helping us create a safe, functional, and magical environment for people to thrive in nature.
What People Are Saying
“My daughter comes home talking all about her time spent learning outdoors with Jenny, she said her brain feels calm when she has been in nature”
—Parent, ODL session
“Being in the garden has helped me reset. I’ve learned how to grow food and slow down at the same time.”
—Volunteer, Market Garden
“The land feels healing. I didn’t know how much I needed this.”
—First-time visitor
Why Support Us?
- You’re helping a grassroots CIC, not a big organisation.
- Your donation will directly impact children, families, and people in need of connection.
- You’ll be part of a growing community rooted in kindness, sustainability, and joy.
- This is about more than funding—it’s about sowing hope.
How You Can Help
- Donate what you can – every pound counts!
- Share this campaign with friends, family, schools, and nature lovers
- Take a look at our rewards section of this crowdfunder - book your child a place onto a Forest School Taster session, buy a ticket to our Summer Harvest Garden party and lots more…
- Follow our journey on social media and come visit us soon!
Facebook - Piccolo Orto
Instagram - @piccolo.orto
Let’s Grow Something Beautiful
This is more than a garden. It’s a sanctuary for learning, healing, and growing together. Whether you give £5 or £500, you are part of this vision.
Business owner? If you would like to become a sponsor for our organisation please do get in touch [email protected] Likewise if you have a business and you think you would like to support us with one of the items on our list… We would LOVE to hear from you!
Thank you so much for helping us plant the seeds of something truly special.
With love and gratitude,
Jenny & the Piccolo Orto Team!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 26th August 2025 at 12:00pm