We are chuffed to announce that, thanks to funding from the
Mid Counties Cooperative we are launching Wild and Free in 2024!
Join us on the Saturdays below, for wild art and wellbeing activities for all ages in Tilehurst, Reading.
Spaces are limited, so advanced booking is essential
even though it is utterly FREE!
We hold a space for everyone to connect with nature. All ages are welcome.
We meet on specific Saturdays (see this year's dates below) between 10-12 noon in the private woodland area on Sage Road in Tilehurst near Brookfields School & Westwood Farm School (postcode RG31 6GG). Take a look at our location below (the entrance gate is just inside the main access gates of Brookfields SEN School).
We meet to play, explore the nature on site, grow, care for nature and gather together by the fireside. We have heaps of resources on site for bug and minibeast study, books, ID sheets and magnifiers. We pond dip in the warmer months (weather permitting) and love to help you identify what you find.
The small private nature reserve is used by both Brookfields SEN School and Westwood Farm Schools throughout the week. Our profits go towards improving and maintaining the site for all of it's users. The woodland has a copse area, a nature pond, mud kitchen, a summer house (with stove in for winter days) and an A frame shelter over an open fire area. We are always improving the site and open to new ideas and helpers from the community. We are a collective - it takes a village so to speak.
Although you are responsible for your child at all times, as an organisation we actively manage the risks and have policies and procedures in place to minimise unacceptable levels of risk (such as the pond and fire). As a community we all do our best to look out for each other on site and help where we can.
We do not have access to the local school for use of their toileting facilities so we suggest you go before you come. We do have a basic 'toilet shed' with a camping toilet in, contact us if you would like more information about our toileting policy.
We also have nappy changing mats, a potty, picnic rugs and tarps for the ground and a few IKEA highchairs to make life easier.
Our summerhouse has a comfy sofa for feeding in, or if you are more comfortable there are various places to prop yourself around the site.
The site is accessible by wheelchair and buggy however some parts of the site can on occasion get very muddy or uneven in wet weather.
Prices:
Thanks to funding from the Mid Counties Cooperative, this group is completely FREE to everyone, but prior booking is essential.
If you can't make it nearer the time, we ask that you kindly contact us to cancel so someone else can use your space.
It is absolutely critical that no one parks on the Brookfields Special Needs School site during the day due to the restrictions they need to have in place for COVID 19. This is non negotiable as they have many very vulnerable children in their care and it is not our property. Parking at Brookfields is now heavily controlled to reduce any risk of infection to their vulnerable groups.
Please allow enough time to park your car/get your bus and if not then don't rush, there's no such thing as 'late' with our events! We will see you whenever you make it. We know that little ones sometimes have varying schedules.
There is free parking on surrounding residential roads, (such as Knowsley Rd) however we ask all our visitors are considerate of local residents and Brookfields School when choosing where to park. Please do not park on yellow lines, grass verges or blocking driveways and allow yourself good time to park, get out and waterproofed up.
Our current Wild and Free dates are:
Please check back for future dates in 2024. We are very grateful for the support of the Mid Counties Cooperative for funding this group.
We hope to secure more funding from TESCO through their Stronger Starts grant, so look out for blue coin voting in a Reading store near you this April-July! The more you vote, the more days we can offer!
Do you know someone who could match this funding to support us all year around? Please get them in touch with us! Welcome@wildcitycollective.com
All enquiries go through our contact form (below), instagram or facebook.
We try to post photos of the work we do on Instagram and Facebook regularly. You can get a taste of our other work by following us on https://www.facebook.com/wildcitycollective/ and www.instagram.com/wildcityforestschool
Feel free to post photos yourself about our sessions and tag us but do get permission first for anyone else in your photos.
Our site is just off Sage Road, look for a large metal gate - tucked inside the entrance to Brookfields SEN school.
The nearest bus stop is the Sky blue 16 - Warley Rise stop.
The group is NOT accessible from Westwood Farm School, so if you arrive there you will need to walk around the entire site to access the entrance. Google maps estimates this takes about 9 minutes on foot via the footpath if you follow directions to:
Westwood Farm Wild Woods, Sage Road, RG31 6GG
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