Pupils at Wood End Primary School were devastated when a hobbit hole they had constructed in a woodland area was recently vandalised. But they are smiling again now having taken delivery of an exciting new treat – a wooden igloo.
The willow igloo, which comes in kit form, was funded by money from the Tamworth Co-op’s Community Dividend Fund which benefits a host of community causes every year.
Emma Horsham, manager of the Tamworth Wood End convenience store (left), is pictured with some of the pupils at Wood End Primary School and Forest School leader Cara Hall.
Head teacher Deena Morrey said she was amazed that £811 had been raised through shoppers at the Wood End convenience store generously donating the dividends they had earned on their purchases to the school’s cause.
“We’ve benefited from this excellent Tamworth Co-op scheme before and we were delighted by how much we got then,” she said.
“But to receive more than £800 this year is amazing and we are using the money to buy items which are all related to the Forest School project.
“The igloo is a living thing and the children will help to assemble it. There will even be some learning activities held inside the igloo. We will be able to buy more items too and the money will also fund an outing to a Forest School centre for some of the older children.
“It would not have been possible for us to do any of these things without this money. We just want to say thank you to the Tamworth Co-op and everybody who helped us at the Wood End store. It’s making a difference to pupils aged between 4 and 10.”
The concept of Forest Schools came to Britain from Scandinavia where it has been part of the education programme since the 1950s. It enables small groups of children to experience activities in a woodland environment. Activities include building shelters, identifying flora and fauna and creating art with natural materials.