This appeal is to raise funds for an open air classroom project at ARK Franklin Primary Academy. Studies have shown that the physical and mental health of British children has deteriorated significantly in recent years. Not only has childhood obesity been rising for decades (the latest WHO figures, for 2013/14, show that 19% of children in Year 6 were obese and a further 14% were overweight; of children in Reception, 10% were obese and another 13% were overweight) but 1 in 10 children (aged 5 – 16) suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder and the number of young people aged 15-16 with depression nearly doubled between the 1980s and the 2000s. The likelihood of a child visiting any green space has halved in a generation according to DEFRA. There is a growing body of evidence to show the positive impact that open air experiences provide in offsetting many of these problems.  A lack of freedom and contact with nature is impeding our children’s mental and physical development and impeding their emotional resilience.

Our mission is to create an inaugural open air classroom at Ark Franklin primary, which will also open to the public, where children can learn their curriculum in more creative ways and be able to engage with nature. We are aiming to transform our gardens and playground into an inspirational environment for our
pupils and for the local community.  In our new space, we will have raised beds and a biodome for our children to grow their own food to cook in the outdoor kitchen. We plan to have a pond, a conservation area and wildflowers to attract butterflies and support our own beehive, a wormery to recycle food waste from the kitchens, a DNA walk and a sensory area.

We will be teaching all aspects of the curriculum through the garden with a focus on healthy eating, sustainability and teaching valuable life skills, such as risk taking and resilience.  We hope to use this learning to inspire educators and schools nationwide to create their own open air classroom and launch similar projects to the garden at Ark Franklin.

We are raising money for the project via a number of routes, in addition to the generous donations from our Just Giving page. Last year we created the Fork to Fork Food Festival, which was enjoyed by over 3.500 children and their families and raised nearly £30,000. This year’s festival on Saturday 11^th June 2016 promises to be even bigger and better, with over 30 restaurants signed up, live music all day, incredible raffle prizes and children’s activities. Buy your tickets today http://franklinforktofork.com/

We will also be doing a family fun run in Queen’s Park on Sunday 24 April 2016, including challenges for all ages, yoga warm up and warm down classes, free giveaways and live music.

Please join us at these events and thank you so much for your support of our project via Just Giving!