Breightmet: Little Bats creating new forest school

A new Forest School is being created on land off Ashley Avenue in Breightmet.

It is being transformed by Little Bats Learning CIC.

The area, which will be called The Roost at Bright Meadows, will be used for community food growing, an edible forest garden and will have a wild grassy part.

Little Bats run Forest Schools for children and adults in Bolton, having held them at Seven Acres Country Park for two years.

Little Bats director Elanor Gordon says it's been 'fascinating' to see the yard evolve. L-R: Director, Alun Morris, Elanor's son, Finn Gordon-Kelly, Elanor Gordon and volunteer Marie Fox (Image: Little Bats)

Elanor Gordon, director of Little Bats, said: “What we’ve found is that for some people having classes in the woods, like in Seven Acres, is too daunting.

“So this will be more of an open, managed area. We are aiming to work a lot more with toddlers and pre-schools, providing more sessions for them.

“We have cleared it and made it safe, having strimmed it down to a basic level, although we’ve left a wild area.

“We’re going to have a garden where people can grow and harvest plants. We’ll have classes for adults and for children.”

The area for the new forest school in Breightmet (Image: Little Bats Learning CIC)

She continued: “It is exciting, we’re starting to get a lot of people saying they’re seeing our progress and it’s exciting, we’ve got people taking an interest.

“It is fascinating to have seen it evolve from an unused mess.”

The land is owned by Bolton at Home, who are granting Little Bats the license to operate the school there.

Trees have been planted (Image: Little Bats Learning CIC)

Elanor said: “It’s a partnership, they agreed we could use it. They wouldn’t have granted that to us if they weren’t on board with what we are proposing to do.

“A long time ago before it was houses, it used to be an orchard. We’re almost taking it back to what it used to be.”

For more information about Little Bats, see their Facebook page.