Freedom Forest School CIC was set up after the Covid19 pandemic for the benefit of the community through regular contact with nature. During the financial year 2025 to 2026 Freedom Forest school has benefited the community by - The provision of regular outdoor child led play sessions for tots and parents and guardians, primary aged children, after school club, holiday clubs for mixed ages up to 12 years old, home education sessions, Girlguiding groups Rainbows, Brownies and Guides and birthday parties. - Enabling children to spend regular time in a woodland environment, it has had a positive effect on their wellbeing, mental and physical health. The stay and play group has become a support group for Parents as well and a fun place for their children to play. Many parents have reported feeling much better after some relaxing time immersed in nature with their children and like-minded adults. - Home school sessions have given home educated children the chance to socialise and investigate nature in a supported way, while following their interests. - After school club has enabled at least 5 children with additional needs to relax after school in a safe place that nurtures their differences and supports their physical and mental wellbeing. - Holiday club sessions have provided care for children with parents at work while enabling them to explore the woods and freely use their imagination and take supported risks. - Many Girlguiding groups have visited over the past year, all having a wonderful time playing, den building and mastering the skill of fire lighting, this had not only been fun for the groups but has enabled them to tick skills off to gain new badges. - All of the sessions we have provided have encouraged the participants to try something new and in many cases master a new skill, fostering a sense of achievement and increased self-confidence. - Birthday parties have been a fun way to introduce some visitors to the woods who might not have considered it. They all had a fantastic time. - In 2026 we have started holding a regular women’s circle, where women come to relax around the fire, share skills and make new friends. - We are working in partnership with several local schools, delivering forest school on their sites. All settings have reported an increase in confidence, happiness and general wellbeing in all children attending the sessions. - We received and educational grant from the Perkins trust, which we will use to construct and fit out an outdoor classroom to enable us to invite, more young groups, parents with very young children, wellbeing groups, members of the community with additional needs who may require a more sheltered area and elderly members of the community to our site for Dementia workshops. - We ran a free community event to celebrate the 100th of Sir David Attenborough, it was very popular - We are also planning a Men’s wellbeing group. - Completed a level 2 certificate in Understanding mental health first aid and advocacy in the workplace.

The company’s stake holders are the residents of Bidford-on-Avon and surrounding towns and villages. -The Director has lived in the village for over 10 years and has a young child in the local school. Our new forest school leader lives in the next village and has strong community ties. -We have a few volunteer hearth keepers who live locally and come to support the forest school leaders during sessions for added safety. - The business model was built on experience of talking to residents of mixed ages and surveys taken in early 2021. -After each session we ask what participants enjoyed most, the most common answer is ‘simply being here’. Several parents who have stayed and taken part in the sessions have remarked how they ‘felt better’ after the session. -Bookings are increasing and customers are returning regularly. -We keep in touch with stakeholders through chatting during sessions, face to face meeting during community events via email and social media. We feel like the company is responding to the needs of the community and have trained and additional forest school leader to meet the demand. -We send out email communications to a subscribers list to ask opinions and let them know of plans.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration