Greenwood Growth CIC Forest School

06/05/2026

Thanks for having us at the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival. Roll on Spring 2027 💚

03/05/2026

Thank you to the local residents who showed up this morning to show Woodcroft Recreation Ground a little love. We thought this might be a one man and his dog situation, so to welcome 17 people aged "toddler" to older with a lot of teens getting busy was incredible! Thanks to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council for supplying us with the kit and for going above and beyond to get it safely to us, and gratitude to Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival for including us in your fabulous festival, support means the world to us in this space as we try to do simple and kind things in local beautiful spaces.

This place is one of 10 places identified for nature improvement, part of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's project for which Greenwood has a little bit of funding from The Titanic Brewery Foundation. Thanks everyone!

01/05/2026

Beltane blessings to all of you, our community of readers, participants, funders. The weather is crystaline in the Staffordshire Moorlands and fresh green leaves gently spread open, creating a new canopy for the Summer ahead. Our Horton toddler community created fairy plates together, using only the treasures that the forest had released to the ground. These became little offerings to the woods and the creatures both visible and imagined who we share the space with. Some also became snowmen, and later in the day toilet plungers.

However you mark this beautiful day and turning of the wheel find a moment to pause a while and consider what your hopes for the summer, and year ahead, may be. See you in the woods.

29/04/2026

Single use plastic get on your nerves? We try to limit use of single use stuff as much as possible in the woods when we work. Most of it is disposable because stuff that is made for one purpose has, well, one purpose and therefore limits the imagination. Stuff made for one purpose is often not that robust, becomes brittle, and breaks quickly. We end up spending hours cleaning the stuff so it always looks new and we are more likely to correct behaviour when we see children inevitably try to take the single use 'stuff' apart, (because we want to know how it works, and whether it could do something else because that's one of the ways we learn, right?). But a stick! A stick can last and last. It can be snapped to make more, it can stir, dig, bash. It can keep us warm and it can become a puppet or be a stick. This stick became a pair of tweezers, pretending to be the beak of a very hungry bird searching out a tasty snack. A stroke of genius from Practitioner Ros S Wiggins put to great use by toddlers at Hassall Green.

Green Angels - The Land Trust

28/04/2026

We are looking for a Director to join our team, and we also have space for an experienced freelance Practitioner. It is possible to be both!

You might love what we do and be looking for a way to get involved, or you might already be involved in your own social enterprise and recognise the strength in doing things together.

We are a values-based not for profit and the first step for you is to reach out for a chat.

email to info@greenwoodgrowth.org or phone 07801655272

28/04/2026

We have a few places available at Hassall Green tomorrow, Wednesday 29 April, for our lovely toddler group. Childminders welcome! If you are struggling to book please let us know and we will try to help where we can.

Stay n play for ages 0 - 5 & their carer

26/04/2026

Director, Lorna, is collaborating with Digitspace on Monday 27 April for Signs of the Moorlands, a short walk exploring the built and natural world of Ilam Park including playful exploration of what this place might look like if it were left to nature.

This is a walk for BSL users, and people wishing to learn more about this language.

Signs of the Moorlands takes place at Ilam Park tomorrow as part of the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival.

Explore the landscape, hear stories of the place, and learn simple BSL signs with Martin Glover and Lorna Stoddart 🤟🌿

📅 Monday 27 April
⏰ 10:30am & 2:30pm
📍 Ilam Park, Ilam, Ashbourne, DE6 2AZ
Free to attend, but booking is essential 👇

🎟️ https://www.tickettailor.com/.../supportstaffords.../2081449
Come and experience the Moorlands in a new way!

OUTSIDE

23/04/2026

Check out these walking festival shenanigans! Thank you Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival for including our small contribution in your listing. Can't wait to see who shows up for our litter pick n picnic next month 💚

🌍 Celebrate Earth Day with the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival 2026! 🌿

🌍This , we’re highlighting six festival events that perfectly capture the spirit of environmental appreciation, biodiversity, and conservation. Join us to explore, learn, and reconnect with our local landscape! 🥾✨

1️⃣ Mindful Walking at RSPB Consall Woods
📅 Friday 24 April, 16:00
📍 RSPB Consall Woods
Kick off the festival by slowing down. This guided session focuses on being present in the moment—a perfect way to practice environmental appreciation in a stunning woodland setting.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mindful-walking-in-the-staffordshire-moorlands-consall-woods-tickets-1983079524240

2️⃣ Nature in the Moorlands & Churnet Valley
📅 Wednesday 29 April, 19:00
📍 Leek Building Society Community Room
An evening dedicated to the rich biodiversity of our region. Discover the wild spaces and local wildlife that make the Churnet Valley and the wider Moorlands a natural treasure.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-in-the-moorlands-churnet-valley-tickets-1984367839626

3️⃣ Evening Talk: Habitats of the South West Peak with Penny Anderson
📅 Thursday 30 April, 19:00
📍 Warslow Village Hall
Join renowned ecologist Penny Anderson for a deep dive into the precious habitats of our local landscape and why their conservation is vital for our future.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/talk-by-penny-anderson-exploring-the-habitats-of-the-south-west-peak-tickets-1984710394216

4️⃣ Mindful Walking at Park Hall Country Park
📅 Friday 1 May, 10:00
📍 Park Hall Country Park
Celebrate the Earth by connecting with nature through all five senses. Explore the diverse habitats of Park Hall—from heathland to woodland—on this peaceful guided stroll.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mindful-walking-in-the-staffordshire-moorlands-park-hall-country-park-tickets-1983079872281

5️⃣ The Garden Gate
📆 Saturday 2 May, 10:00
📍Bolton Gate Arts CIC, ST3 5BD
🪏🥾🎶🎭 Launch Summer 2026 with a guided walk, gardening, live music, poetry and art.

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/boltongateartscic/2147144

6️⃣ Love Woodcroft Recreation Ground
📅 Sunday 3 May, 10:00
📍 Woodcroft, Leek ST13 5RR
🚮🧺 Family litter pick and community picnic in this unique wild place.
Let’s walk, talk and act to safeguard our Moorlands! 💚⛰️

https://facebook.com/events/s/love-woodcroft-rec-community-l/1234836672164589/?

https://staffsmoorlandswalkingfestival.co.uk/

23/04/2026

Looking forward to welcoming families and friends to Horton today, link to book is:

Stay n play for ages 0 - 5 & their carer

22/04/2026

"Yellow, sunshine", the sun shone and the temperature rose enough for the Bees to fly seeking out sources of nectar held aloft in golden cups and so before we made Bee puppets, we met the flowers. When was the last time you met a flower? As in, got down on the ground and held a flower in your hand took a deep breath in with all of your senses? Inhaling scent, bathing in their colours, feeling the textures of leaves and petals, maybe tasting and perhaps listening to the vibrations of life pulsing from the earth. Young children love meeting flowers in this way. Sometimes fleeting, sometimes taking time but done once their names sink in and suddenly a green bank is bursting with more colour than you've ever seen in your life. If you can, treat yourself today and introduce yourself to a flower. You never know, they might just respond.