Lottery Grant To Learn About The Environment

Published on Tuesday May 03 2005

Beckenham Woodcraft Folk groups were recently awarded an Awards for All grant, the Lottery programme aimed at local communities, of £2960. Part of this grant was used to fund a weekend of activities for Elfins and Pioneers on the theme of ‘Your Environment’, the rest of the money will be used to support the on-going work of the groups.

For the environmental weekend the Elfins and Pioneers spent three days at the Cudham Environmental Activities Centre in Kent. As well as the more typical outdoor activities such as nature rambles, feeding the farm animals and evening campfires, the children also took part in a number of other events designed to foster greater awareness of environmental issues and to demonstate how as individuals they could make a difference through actions as simple as re-cycling their waste.

As part of this the Elfins put on a music concert led by Kerry Stonely, of the local pre-school music group, Top Hat Tunes, singing specially written songs about the environment and using instruments made out of recycled materials.

Another highlight of the weekend was a very funny and very well-received dramatisation of the story of Eco-Wolf and the Three Pigs by Laurence Anholt.

Though for many the real everlasting memory will be getting our elbows deep in lard and birdseed as we all attempted to use waste and re-cycled materials to make bird-feeders. At the end of the weekend the children were presented with laminates of the recycling rules they had decided upon earlier for their own homes.

For further information about the Beckenham Woodcraft Folk groups

please contact group leaders Tracy and Ian Cleveland (0208 402 0346) or Bromley District Publicity Officer, Andrew Flinn (a.flinn@btopenworld.com).