Magic potions and wizardry for visitors to Hartlepool forest school

Magic potions and wizardry were on the cards for visitors to an innovative outdoor learning area at a Hartlepool school.
Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.
Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.

The Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School has hosted a number of Harry Potter-themed sessions for hundreds of children during the last two months.

Activities included Quidditch training, potion mixing, wand and broom making, cooking toffee apples and making spiced apple punch around a campfire, as well as taking part in a range of ghoulish games.

Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.
Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.
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Children also got the chance to meet the Mayor of Hartlepool, CounRob Cook, when he dropped in to visit them.

The Forest School project has been developed on a former playing field at the corner of Callander Road and Catcote Road. The site has been turned into a natural learning environment featuring an outdoor eco-classroom, hundreds of trees and shrubs, a wetland area, a pond-dipping platform, a fire pit, meadows, areas for den building, a ravine and a type of Central Asian nomad tent known as a yurt.

Forest School manager Chris Skelly said: “The activities proved really popular with 660 children from 10 schools in Hartlepool, Billingham and Stockton taking part in more than 15 separate two-hour sessions.

“In fact, we had to arrange extra sessions because the initial advertised ones sold out very quickly.

Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.
Photo captions: Hartlepool Mayor Councillor Rob Cook meets children at the Forest School project at Rossmere Primary School.
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“We were also delighted to be able to welcome the Mayor of Hartlepool and on the day the children present thoroughly enjoyed their time with him.”

Coun Cook said: “The Forest School project is of huge benefit to children in Hartlepool and beyond. It was great to see children learning and enjoying themselves outdoors and I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making the project such a big success.”

For more information about the Forest School project contact Chris Skelly on (01429) 282366.