Arsonists decimate forest school area in Sevenoaks

Hours of work from dedicated volunteers at Kent Wildlife Trust were undone in minutes after heartless vandals destroyed a special area at Sevenoaks Nature Reserve created to teach children and toddlers forest school skills.

 

Tutors have been left devastated after equipment was set on fire with benches and teaching equipment broken into pieces. The area had been created by volunteers at Sevenoaks Visitor Centre, taking them weeks to build and since their creation had enjoyed by hundreds of children helping them to cultivate an understanding and connection with the natural world.

The damage was discovered on Friday, 14th June and has been reported to Kent Police. The cost to replace the property is estimated to be around £2,000 but more valuable is the time of the volunteers needed to help recreate the forest school area which will take several weeks.

Forest School is an educational approach that places nature at the core of learning. Its ethos is rooted in the belief that outdoor experiences provide a rich and holistic environment for children's development. It emphasises hands-on, experiential learning in a woodland setting, encouraging curiosity, creativity, and resilience.

Kent Wildlife Trust uses the dedicated area for toddlers, school children, home-educated youngsters and on occasion pensioners, and whilst the team admits the arson has set them back, they have vowed to build back stronger for the benefit of the community.

Education Manager at Kent Wildlife Trust, Tom White said: “This is a huge blow, and highlights the disconnect with nature some people feel, which is also the very thing we are trying to address through forest school.

“We are now in the process of rebuilding this area, no child should miss out on these amazing experiences at the hands of a thoughtless minority, and we look forward to our next session.

“Sadly, this is not the first time we have experienced issues on this site, just a few months ago we were victims of burglary, and whilst we have invested in security, those in rural communities are unfortunately more likely to be victims of this kind of crime.

“If anyone would like to help us, they can volunteer or donate to our nature nightmares campaign.”

Despite the vandalism forest school activities are still running at Kent Wildlife Trust alongside a packed educational programme which incorporates Nature Tots, holiday clubs and birthday parties.

If anyone has any information that may help police, call their witness appeal line on 01622 604100 quoting crime reference number 46/98505/24.

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