A wooden shelter donated by local housebuilder Bellway is helping pupils at Ponteland Primary School connect more closely with the natural world.
The large structure was installed in the school’s woodland area at the start of the academic year to support forest school sessions for early years children.
The shelter, which is large enough to accommodate a full cohort of 39 pupils, was paid for and installed by Bellway and its contractor TA Joinery during last year’s summer holidays. It provides a space where children can take refuge from the elements during bad weather and has enabled the school to extend its forest school sessions – which involve pupils taking part in a range of outdoor activities – from a half day to a full day.
Previously referred to simply as ‘the shelter’, the structure has now been officially named ‘The Nature Nook’ after Year 5 pupil Eden Drysdale won a naming competition organised by Bellway. A natural sign bearing the new name has been produced and will be fixed to the outside of the building next to the entrance.
And following a visit to the school to present Eden with her prize of a £100 voucher for winning the competition, Bellway has also agreed to install lighting inside the shelter to make it an even more inviting space for the children.
Claire Johnson, Headteacher at Ponteland Primary School, said:
“We were absolutely blown away by the generosity of Bellway’s offer. Having the shelter has enabled us to extend our forest school sessions to a full day to make it a more immersive and engaging experience for the children.
“The forest school gives children the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities, such as exploring, looking at wildlife habitats, making bug hotels, den building and learning how to transport logs. Part of the curriculum for early years children is learning about the natural world and the woods provide the perfect environment for them.
“The new shelter is fantastic and the children love using it. They use it at the start of the day for reading a story and having a sing song before they head off into the woods and it provides a shelter if there’s a heavy downpour during the day. Without the shelter they would have to come back into the main school building to avoid getting wet but now they can stay out for the whole day.
“We did look at buying a shelter but we couldn’t find anything that was affordable so we would not have been able to provide this facility without Bellway’s generosity. The children really enjoyed taking part in the naming competition and there was a real buzz about Eden getting such a fantastic prize. She was absolutely over the moon to win and everyone loves the name. All the children are already referring to the shelter as ‘The Nature Nook’.”
Bellway is currently building nearby at its Falcon Grove and Roman Court developments in Lower Callerton. It previously delivered 275 homes at the Jameson Manor development on the site of the former Northumbria Police Headquarters site in Ponteland, with construction work finishing there in 2023.
Emma Chesterton, Sales Director at Bellway North East, said:
“Bellway is committed to supporting local communities and it’s wonderful to see the positive impact that the shelter has had on the outdoor learning experience for pupils at Ponteland Primary School.
“It was a real pleasure to visit the school to present Eden with her prize for winning the naming competition and to thank all the pupils who had submitted suggestions. ‘The Nature Nook’ was a worthy winner and a fitting name for the shelter which we hope will be enjoyed by pupils at the school for many years to come.”
To find out more about Falcon Grove, Roman Court and other Bellway developments in the North East, go to https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/north-east.
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