So what have we been up to? On top of our regular holiday club sessions, home-ed sessions, parties, festivals AND co-running Knighton Woodland Tots CIC, we have been busy with fingers in lots of pies!
Read on to find out some of our favourite highlights.
Bacteria Testing In The River Teme
This community project is a direct follow on from the successes of our 2023 ‘Celebrating the Teme’ river reconnection programme. We have now unveiled a simple flag system by the River Teme, at the Offa’s Dyke Park in Knighton, to show the weekly bacteria levels as tested by volunteers, with levels either being a Red, Amber or Green flag relating to human safety in the river water. Ideal if you’re wondering whether to let you or your little ones have a paddle over the summer! A huge thanks to the various teams who have made this possible, ranging from Knighton Woodland Tots CIC, Severn Rivers Trust, Knighton Town Council, Powys County Council and the Sustainable Tourism Award, and Co-Op’s Community Fund - we couldn’t do it without their support. And of course, a tremendous thank you to all our volunteers who make this project a reality - we couldn’t do it without your citizen scientist skills and on-going dedication!
2025
Welsh Playworks Grant - Delivering Free Outdoor Sessions to Wales
It’s been a privilige and a joy to bring our sessions to different Welsh towns throughout 2025 through the Welsh Playworks scheme. What started out as a trial of a few sessions has led to a bountiful supply of ongoing sessions, ranging in locations from Knighton, Presteigne, Builth Wells, all the way to Sennybridge. We’ve worked with a vast number of the local community and have so enjoyed getting to share our passion for the outdoors with these families. Hopefully more to continue in 2026!
2024
We Got Silver!
It was a real celebratory moment - and a big pat on the backs! - to be awarded Silver in the prestigious Outdoor Education awards for The Royal Forestry Society. A huge thanks to the judges for taking the time to meet us at our woodland site, and deeming our team and project worthy of winning Silver in 2024’s Outdoor Education. In their words:
"It is evident that Branching Out stands apart from other ‘Forest Schools’ in its creativity and innovation, with a clear focus on helping to raise awareness of different habitats within woodlands, alongside global environmental concerns, whilst supporting children and their families to build a strong connection with their local wildlife/natural environment based on heritage and the passing seasons.”
“[We] have no doubt that with Toni’s enthusiasm and knowledge, Branching Out will continue to go from strength to strength and play an important part in the local community as more children are engaged in their sessions and build a stronger connection with nature, the Shropshire Hills National Landscape and their ancient woodlands.”
EIF Judges, Sarah Wood & Gill Forrester
For the full read Click Here
Schools Transition Project with Aberystwyth University
An on-going and long-term project is now underway with the support of a team of Education Researchers at Aberystwyth University. Through a variety of discussions with Headteachers at primary and secondary level our team aim to explore how a ‘thread of familiarity’ of outdoor and hands-on education sessions that overlap between Year 5 + 6 and again in Year 7+8 can assist in easing school transition difficulties for young people, and assist in improving long-term wellbeing - especially for those prvotal teenage years. It’s ambitious, but we are passionate! If you would like to find out more please do get in touch, and we are always looking for support with this project, so please do get in contact if you have any information on funding possibilities for such a project.
2023
‘Celebrating The Teme’ - A River Reconnection Programme
Director, Toni Pettitt, was fortunate to help co-direct a pivotal river reconnection project through Nature Resource’s Wales Resilient Community Fund. The project consisted of monthly community events that celebrated our local River Teme through arts, traditional crafts, educational talks, family sessions and school sessions. We held refular litter picks, and also bought together a volunteer group of citizen scientists who have been critical in river bacteria and phosphate/nitrate testing as part of the new nationwide CaTSCO project. The legacy of the project has been extensive, drawing people in Knighton back to the blue space that runs parallel to the town, tapping into those memories of the river ‘once was’ - and can be again. It is a project about positivity: We believe that is what drives positive change.
Head to www.celebratingtheteme.co.uk for more information.
Connecting People & Land’ - with Knucklas Castle Community Land Project
A huge thank you to an incredibly warm and wonderful community for inviting us to deliver sessions at what has to be one of the most specatcularly beautiful sites to work at! And what a successful trial year it has been for these sessions, where a strong and regular group of children and their parents have come to join us on the hill for a couple of hours each month (it speaks volumes when the adults want to linger-on and hang-out with us for the session too!) We were fortunate to offer out some extremely affordable summer holiday sessions too, ensuring that a hot campfire lunch was provided for every child too - our part in helping out local families at a time when food prices are soaring and every little counts.
‘Into The Woods’ - Accessible Holiday Club
A big thank you to Shropshire Hills AONB for supporting and funding our ‘Into The Woods’ holiday club, that ensured our sessions remained accessible and open to everyone by providing a generous grant of £1,500. This allowed us to provide sessions at a reduced rate, with two free places on each day for low income families - a critical help to many families at a time when costs are escalating and parents are feeling the strain to have to work more. During these days, we celebrated anicent woodlands, celebrating the traditions, the crafts, the species - well, generally ALL things ancient woodland related! We benefitted from local artists, chairities and wildlife specialists who shared their skills and expertise too, offering the kids an incredibly rounded woodland experience oozing with creativity, natural wonders and friendships.
To read the full report head Click Here.
