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End of Year Update & Looking Ahead
- Jenny Smillie
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
As we come to the end of another wonderful year, I’d like to take a moment to thank you for your continued support, enthusiasm, and commitment to our community interest company. It has been a joy to spend time outdoors with you and your children, and we’re excited about what’s coming next.
🎄 Free Online Outdoor Advent Calendar
Our free online Outdoor Advent Calendar is still going and has been lovely to see so many of you taking part.
Each day we’re sharing a simple, nature-inspired idea to help you slow down, get outside, and enjoy the season together. To find out what’s behind today’s door, follow the link below:
You can dip in daily or catch up on any activities you may have missed — perfect for adding a little outdoor magic to the lead-up to the end of the year.
🌿 Forest School Stay & Play Sessions – New Dates Added
Dates for funded and weekend Forest School Stay and Play sessions have now been added from January through to the end of March, just before the Easter school holidays.
You’ll notice that sessions can now only be booked 10 days in advance. This change has been introduced to make our booking system fairer for everyone. Our sessions are extremely popular and often fill up well in advance, with long waiting lists. We hope that by limiting how far ahead bookings can be made, more families will have the opportunity to attend.
🌲 Weekend Session Pricing Update
You may also notice a small price increase for our weekend Forest School Stay and Play sessions, with prices rising by £1 or less.
We have always been very considerate with our pricing. These paid sessions are not used to line anyone’s pocket; they help to cover the cost of resources and the wider outgoings our Community Interest Company is responsible for. Unfortunately, consistent no-shows at paid events mean that we are often not even covering the cost of resources and rent for those sessions.
If you are booked onto an event and are unable to attend, please try to give us as much notice as possible so we can offer your place to another family.
🌼 New Women’s Outdoor Well-Being Project – Coming Early Spring
We are very excited to share that an exciting new project will be launching in early spring next year: a Women’s Outdoor Well-Being Project.
In the first instance, we hope to engage mothers of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Through delivering sessions for your children, we know how often you put everyone else’s needs before your own. This can understandably lead to feelings of overwhelm and stress — and we want to give something back to you.
The plan is to offer a monthly 2-hour afternoon session, providing dedicated time for you to:
switch off
connect with nature
connect with each other
Guest speakers and facilitators will also be invited to share their expertise and support.
A consultation will be shared in the new year to help shape the project around what would best meet your needs. Please let me know if you would like to be involved in the consultation, the sessions themselves, or both.
🌟 Professional Updates & Training
I’m also delighted to share some exciting professional news:
In February, I will be delivering a workshop for the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) on The Magic of Outdoor Learning for 0–3 Year Olds.
NDNA have also asked me to produce an exclusive resource for their members, which will be shared at the event.
In addition, I have been invited to deliver a two-part training session on how outdoor learning supports communication, language, and literacy for the DfE Online Hub.
🌱 Looking Ahead
With so many exciting projects on the horizon, 2026 is already beginning to look like a very exciting year ahead.
Thank you again for being part of our journey. Wishing you and your families a restful end to the year and a happy, healthy start to the next.
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