On Friday 2 May, the Leverhulme Woodlands - a dedicated on-site outdoor learning space for pupils across the Foundation - were officially opened within the School grounds.
Located at the perimeter of the School site, towards the top of Tudor Avenue, the redevelopment of the Woodlands was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Lord Leverhulme’s Charitable Trust and the Friends of Bolton School.
The Leverhulme Woodlands offers an immediately-accessible outdoor learning and conservation area for curricular and extra-curricular use by pupils from across the Foundation, and particularly those in the Primary Division. They contain a shelter and bird hide to allow outdoor learning to take place year-round, in all weathers, whilst retaining wilder areas for creative play and bushcraft, in co-existence with the existing natural habitat (and the wildlife which occupy it).
The Leverhulme Woodlands were officially opened by Mr George Apsion, a Governor of the School, Great Great Grandson of the first Lord Leverhulme. Mr Apsion is also a representative of the family Trust which was the principle donor to the Woodlands, which will stand as a permanent commemoration of the centenary of Lord Leverhulme’s death.
Mr Apsion was joined at the opening by representatives of the Friends of Bolton School, whose fundraising at parent events had made a further contribution to the redevelopment; by the Head of Foundation, Philip Britton, MBE; by the Heads of the Primary, Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions, Sue Faulkner, Nic Ford and Lynne Kyle; and by other Governors and Former Governors of the School.
In his speech to “cut the ribbon”, Mr Apsion recalled his Great Great Grandfather’s abiding love of the outdoors, recollecting the outdoor bedroom in which he slept year-round at Rivington, and his staunch belief in the benefits of physical activity. Mr Apsion observed that the benefits of outdoor learning for pupils’ mental and physical health were manifold, and that the Woodlands would enable even the youngest children in the Foundation to experience those benefits whilst developing their relationship with nature.
The redevelopment of the Woodlands was overseen by the School’s Estates Department, and in his speech Mr Apsion paid particular tribute to Mr Dave Laskey and Mr Ian Clarke from that team, whose efforts had endured the project was completed to such an impeccable standard.
Outdoor learning is a fundamental part of the curriculum for pupils in all three Divisions of Bolton School, and the Leverhulme Woodlands will provide a tremendous asset for children of every age within the Foundation. After the official opening had taken place, guests enjoyed a tour of the woodlands whilst Primary Division pupils demonstrated the breadth of activities it would make possible, most notably the toasting of marshmallows!
Watch a fly through video exploring the woodlands:
See photos from the opening:
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