Life Skills - Poulton Wood

POULTON WOOD WORKS RANGER SERVICE

A work experience programme for adults with learning disabilities

The Poulton Wood Works Ranger Service is a fulfilling and rewarding work experience programme for adults with a learning disability. The Poulton Wood staff team and volunteers work in support of six to ten Rangers a day, involving them in all areas of conservation, woodland management, horticulture and coppice crafts.

As well as the woodland we have grassland that we manage for wildlife conservation plus gardens and a polytunnel in which we grow plants and produce for our own use and for sale. We also have an allotment that is managed as a willow plot where we grow mixed species of willow for our coppice craft work and for sale.

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The care and management of the Poulton Wood site is an ongoing responsibility that we take seriously, both for the future of the land itself and for the opportunity it gives us to learn and grow. Alongside the knowledge and practical skills that are developed at Poulton Wood, there is the opportunity to develop resourcefulness, flexibility and imagination. These skills are important when working outside in the natural environment, governed by the weather and the changing seasons, and are also great life skills that can further personal development, increase confidence, and help in the management of our daily lives.

The day is structured into 3 one and a half hour sessions of work experience in all areas. Tea breaks and lunch times are spent together in conversation and moral support of each other in all areas of life.

On 7 March 2001 Poulton Wood was declared a Local Nature Reserve, rich in its diversity of plants and wildlife and open to the public with improved access. Poulton Wood is but a small part of a national movement to promote Countryside Access for All. The project is operated and supported by Canterbury Oast Trust and sustained by small woodland management grants, sponsorship and donations.

We are currently embarked on a programme of site development to improve our facilities with a new mess hut and a craft and nature room of character. One of our aims for the future is to become more ordered in the study and recording of our wildlife and the trees and plants that live on this land. We have recently purchased a kiln and are hoping to tap into a natural clay seam that will enable us to experiment with its use in the making of pots and other items of interest.

We also have plans to hone our teaching skills and formalise our knowledge in a way that will enable us to offer short term courses to adults with learning disabilities. This will facilitate more adults with a learning disability being able attend Poulton Wood Works and benefit from this healing environment and what can be learnt here.

Once a year we hold an Open Day when everyone is welcome - it is an opportunity for us to demonstrate and sell our craft work and plants and to present ourselves to a wider audience.

If you are interested in following up a placement or want more information about Poulton Wood, please contact Lynn Cooke, Project Manager on 01233 720163.