Pupils at a Newcastle special educational needs school are now enjoying embracing the great outdoors after a £8,000 donation which has bought them two sustainable outdoor classrooms.
We, TT2, gifted The Percy Hedley Foundation’s Northern Counties School in Jesmond the money to help pupils aged three to 16, embrace a forest school education.
The donation has paid for two accessible outdoor huts and the installation of a range of equipment and materials that allow the children to take part in woodwork, gardening, animal care, cooking food on an open fire, and exploring nature.
Martin Lonergan, Headteacher at Northern Counties School, said: “We are over the moon with our new facilities. They make a world of difference for our children by providing opportunities to discover and embrace nature.
“For various reasons, many of our children cannot access a garden at home, or visit a forest, and we wanted to ensure they can enjoy these wonderful, memorable experiences. I want to express a heart-felt thank you to TT2 – these facilities are going to bring joy and learnings for generations to come.”
The Percy Hedley Foundation is the largest education and care provider in the North East for people with physical or learning disabilities and employs 1,050 people across two primary schools, a college, four residential homes, and an adult learning service.
Our Chief Operating Officer, Shaun Simmons, said: “When we heard we could play a part in supporting children to learn about and enjoy the outdoors, we were delighted to help.”
We aim to support lots of charities and good causes in the North East every year via our substantial good-will donations programme.