We are raising funds for our longstanding  Nature Rangers youth group for a year. Nature Rangers delivers free regular Saturday morning outdoor activity sessions in the Garden for children aged 6-9. With the grant we will deliver 42 outdoor sessions over a year and 2 trips to do outdoor activities elsewhere ( one to the beach and another to somewhere chosen by young people such as a hike on Hadriens Wall). Session context varies but usually includes Forest School activities, bushcraft, team games, cooking on a fire and eating outdoors as well as trips in the school holidays.
There are very few opportunities for children to come to the group to benefit from the outdoors. Their schools have small yards and the families of children who come to the group do not have the financial resources to take their children to other outdoor activities, live in cramped flats with no outdoor space or sub standard asylum hotels and do not feel their children are safe playing in other local green spaces . The Garden is trusted by local people and our experienced and qualified youth workers have built up excellent relationships with local families over many years.
36 diverse children will participate on a regular basis, most every week. Children in the group live locally and there are a high proportion with additional needs or are care experienced. We have a waiting list of children waiting to join this group. Our waiting list policy gives priority to children in the asylum process and local children living within walking distance of the Garden which is based in one of the most deprived wards in England.