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| NOAH'S
ARK CHILDREN'S VENTURE
NEWS IN 2009 |
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The Wood Yard Development Project In early 2009 we were given the use of an extra piece of woodland to use in Macaroni Wood. This is a large area and we have plans to develop it as a natural habitat for wildlife. This will involve clearing some of the scrub and undergrowth, laying trails, creating a clearing and roundhouse and planting new native trees and shrubs to enhance the woodland for the wildlife and native plants.
We have also started work on renovating the wood yard buildings that were made available to us by The Ernest Cook Trust in 2008 to develop as an indoor play area, bike storage sheds and a classroom and general storage facility. We have been using our own restricted funds ( the result of an unexpected legacy donated to Macaroni Wood in 2007) to fund this work. So far the building has had a new roof (the old one was made from asbestos and leaked) and both the inside and outside walls needed major repairs to the render. A land drain has been laid to the front of the building to prevent flooding which has occurred at least 3 times in recent years due to the fact that the building stands below ground level, and we have had particularly heavy rainfall in the last two summers. We will need to fundraise additional funds to complete the project as although the building is now water tight and sound it is basically still an empty shell and will need plumbing, electrics, a heating system and fitting out before it can be used by groups. We are hoping to develop the classroom area as a base to develop the forest school training that is already being carried out by Ruth Parsons with some of our visitors. This is an exciting new development at Macaroni Wood and we hope to bring the project to fruition in the coming 12 to 18 months.
Woodland Learning We are now offering Woodland Learning sessions at Macaroni Wood using the services of Ruth Parsons, a local trainer who provides full day and half day sessions based in the wood. She is an excellent trainer who provides sessions based on woodland learning in a friendly, fun and informative way. Quite a number of groups have taken advantage of the sessions and all have reported positively on the experience that the children/young people have gained.
For further information see the flyer from Ruth. If you would like to book a session with Ruth then please look at her website www.woodland-learning.co.uk and get in touch with her personally. Sponsored Walk Across the Sinai Desert James Eastham is walking across the Sinai Desert at the end of September to raise money for Macaroni Wood and The Archway Motor Project. He is bearing all the costs himself so all donations go to the charities. If you want to show support by giving a donation, please visit James' Just Giving website. Thank you. Castree House Playroom The new playroom for Castree House (converted from the double garage at the end of the unit) is now fully equipped and being used by groups. A grant from Lincoln Financial Services has enabled us to buy more equipment and the room now contains lots of sensory equipment including a light projector, bubble tube and two sensory boards. The room also has a 38” flat screen TV with digital television, a DVD player, a good quality sound system and a computer that is connected to the internet. We also have art materials and other play equipment and everyone who has used the room this year have been hugely impressed with the facilities we can offer to our visitors. |
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