Education & Community Services
Cookworthy Education Facilities
Community Services
- Walk and Talk (Walking for Health in North Devon)
- Community Woodlands Programme
- Woodlands for Social Enterprise: SWF Products Network
Cookworthy Education Facilities
South West Forest is eager to support and signpost individuals, schools and community groups with relevant contacts and information as part of its aim to enhance understanding and appreciation of woodlands, woodland habitats and the role of woodlands in the local and regional economy.
Cookworthy Forest Centre
Cookworthy Forest Centre offers people of all ages the opportunity to explore the surrounding woodlands. The forest provides a living classroom and an opportunity to develop bespoke, self-led activities allows school children to develop their creativity whilst engaging in meaningful learning experiences related to the National Curriculum. Ranger led visits are available from the Forestry Commission. Please phone 01392 834220 for more information and to arrange a visit. Self-led groups should also seek permission prior to any visits in order avoid conflict with other users.
Use of the centre’s exhibition room and toilet facilities are available (with prior booking), whilst outside the Centre there are forest, meadow and wetland areas, allowing a wide variety of educational activities for schools and groups. These include orienteering, mini-beast hunts, discovery walks, shelter building and forest art. Sheltered lunchtime facilities are available within the centre and on finer days, picnic tables are at everyone’s disposal outside.
Forest School
Forest School is a concept developed from Danish ideas of working with children and young people in the outdoors. The participants are encouraged and inspired to grow in confidence, independence and self-esteem, through the mastery of small achievable tasks.
Read more about Forest School here
Celtic Roundhouse
The site boasts a Celtic roundhouse (construction of which, has been assisted by visiting schools and college groups). This is available for use at £50 per day. Please email South West Forest or telephone 01409 221896 to ask for details.
Read more about the Celtic Roundhouse here
Offsite Education Opportunities
South West Forest has contacts with a wide network of farms and woodland owners across the “land between the moors”. If you wish to find out about a site nearer to you which may host educational visits, forest school or to find out about your nearest Community Woodland please email Jim White or telephone 01409 221896.
Community Services
South West Forest aims to work with local people to foster community identity and develop networks which demonstrate the relevance of woodlands to the sustainable future of the area.
Walk and Talk
Woodlands make wonderful places to get away from it all and go for a walk, so...
As part of our work to extend the benefits of an increasingly well wooded area to local communities, we have been working with local partners to found and support Walking for Health groups across the South West Forest.
Read more about Walk and Talk here
Community Woodlands Programme
The Woodland Projects Officer can offer support for Community Woodland establishment and management. The aims of this are to help communities and organisations make better use of their existing local woodlands (public or privately owned) and encourage establishment of new resources through planting.
If you have an idea for the establishment of a Community Woodland, please email Jim White or telephone 01409 221896.
Read more about Community Woodlands in the South West Forest here
Woodlands for Social Enterprise: SWF Products Network
South West Forest also provides administrative support for a Products Network. Independently chaired, the focus of the group is to provide a forum for farmers, landowners, wood producers and consumers to explore and develop opportunities for collaboration, co-operation and networking. Like much of the agricultural sector in the South West, the woodland management and utilisation sector has suffered in recent years from cheap imports, geographical isolation and a lack of capital. The group aims to enable producers to go down the supply chain and pass on quality woodland based products to the consumer, and provides a network of support and trading opportunities for its members.The principle behind collaboration is simple – “what we can’t do by ourselves we can do together”. The group is eager for more members. The current annual membership fee is £10.
If you are interested in joining or attending future meetings please please email Jim White or telephone 01409 221896.
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