SCHOOLCHILDREN from across ten primary schools enjoyed a day of fun workshops at the Oakraven Field Centre in Mitcheldean.

The Gloucestershire Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) hosted the event last Tuesday, which involved the children getting to grips with nature and how it can be protected.

They built shelters, surveyed hedgerows and got up close and personal with the plants and animals that live on the site.

The children had a great time, while picking up some important messages along the way. One pupil commented: “It was great fun and there were lots of fantastic activities.”

This was the third and final of this year’s ‘Fun in the Forest’ events, with previous activities held at Westonbirt Arboretum and the Slimbridge Wetland Centre. The events have been offered free-of-charge to schools as a result of funding provided by the Cotswold Conservation Board and the Ernest Cook Trust.

GEEP chairperson, Mark Stead said: “It is so important that we provide opportunities for today’s children to experience direct contact with nature. I’m sure most adults remember climbing trees, building dens and in my case picking up frogs and slow worms to show to my (often unimpressed!) parents. But how many of children today have these experiences with the distractions of computers, smartphones and games consoles? It is only through these experiences that children will develop a love and fascination with the natural world.”