Outdoor education and eco therapy
For many years Moulsecoomb Forest Garden have been delivering outdoor learning sessions both at the Forest Garden and at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy. This also includes Homewood College and other partnerships in East Brighton. We also run weekly sessions at Moulsecoomb Primary.
Our main aim is to deliver Eco Therapeutic mentoring support for young people and we focus on students that are experiencing problems within mainstream education. This includes special educational needs such as ADHD and Autism.
We provide a unique safe space for young people giving a sense of belonging and community. This underpins their sense of wellbeing, becoming a major contribution to the overall positive learning experience.
‘Since working with Moulescoomb Forest Gardens, L has shown a complete change in both his maturity and the way he responds to both adults and students. The mentoring and 1-1 support provided has not only improved his confidence, but also his skillset. Without this programme, this student would be excluded from mainstream education.’
We are also a centre for AQA Unit Award Scheme (UAS). The UAS compliments our outdoor sessions by adding formally recognised records of achievement.
Pupils are rewarded with a certificate each time they successfully complete a unit of learning. They can build up a portfolio of certificates to evidence their skills, knowledge and progress.
This scheme can help boost confidence, increase engagement, improve motivation and interest helping the young people to make progress on their lifelong learning journey. This includes transferable skills to school, home and beyond.
Our sessions are flexible and, working closely with the schools, they are tailored to meet the students’ needs.
The awards and experience we offer can help move young people into employment, work experience, apprenticeships or further training. This can also be a contribution to Duke of Edinburgh and John Muir awards. We also offer our own bronze, silver and gold achievement awards.
Our outdoor sessions include elements of:
- Conservation
- Ecology
- Natural history
- Bushcraft skills
- Primitive technology
- Survival skills
- Woodland skills / green woodwork
- Environmental art
- Horticulture
- Outdoor cooking
These sessions are delivered by Pat Beach and Louis Denyer-Schneider.
Cooking
Cooking is an integral part of what we do at our community garden with Jo and her team managing to cook up a feast no matter what the weather on our open fires and pizza oven.
We teach pupils struggling at school and adults with learning disabilities how to prepare and serve food for up to 40 people at our twice-weekly work sessions. People learn essential life skills while feeling part of a team and providing a vital service – serving up a hot nutricious lunch to people who are tired after a morning of gardening!
It’s also a chance to harvest, cook and then eat the vegetables that have been growing; giving people an understanding of seasonality and a sense of connection to the garden around them. All organic waste goes back into our compost bins.
You can see what’s on the menu on our Forest Garden Cooks Page.
We can also cater for your group at the garden.
Gardening
Warren and Daisy lead the gardening work.
We have ten plots where we grow food on our steep, chalky site. Pushing a wheelbarrow of compost up that hill certainly keeps you fit!
Our focus is on inclusion and taking part – and fun. We bring out the best in people by finding what they are good at and what they can manage.
Everything we grow is organic, fed by our massive compost bins, and complemented by manure and stinking nettle liquid. As well as growing food, we have wildlife-friendly habitats, ponds and plenty of places for people to sit and enjoy the garden.
Fruit and vegetables are used for lunchtimes with any gluts going to the seniors club at The Bevy or Moulsecoomb Primary’s harvest festival.
Anyone is welcome to come and see what we do, but please do contact us to make arrangements to visit the garden beforehand. With limited resources, our workdays are designed to support those with additional needs.