Taster days are coming to Newquay Orchard! We’ll be holding taster days every week throughout the summer holidays for young people who might like to join the Growing Futures education programme.
Every Thursday from 22nd July until 2nd September throughout the school break students aged 15-24 can attend the sessions and discover the orchard, meet the education team and learn how living and working with nature can improve people’s overall happiness.
Our Change Coach Matt Camps works with young people onsite here at the orchard to re-engage them in education and support them in finding training and improving their employability skills. He’s created a line-up of activities for the summer which will explore ways we connect with nature and how we can live more sustainably.
Matt said: “The taster days are an opportunity for young people to see what’s on offer here at Newquay Orchard and if they’d like to spend more time learning here come September. It’ll be a chance to spend time in nature, learn some new skills and make new friends.”
“We’re really excited about the range of activities we’ve created!” Matt added.
From making bird boxes to creating new habitats and promoting biodiversity to foraging for food and herbs around the orchard and getting creative with natural dyes – there is an activity for all interests.
Here is the full line up of taster day sessions and for any people aged 15-24 who would like to attend one or more of the sessions please email matt.camps@nqyorchard.pixolomew.design to secure your space.
- Thursday 22nd July – Field to Fork – Take a tour of Newquay Orchard whilst foraging for food before heading back to create a vegetable paella with the harvest.
- Thursday 29th July – Habitats – Explore the Forest Garden and the ecosystem that calls it home. The group will set up base in the orchard and make a bird house or bug house to take home.
- Thursday 5th August – Natural Clothing – Get creative making natural dyes from vegetables and have a go at tie-dying a t-shirt.
- Thursday 12th August – Field to Scoop – After building a pop up ice cream stall attendees will have the chance to forage for flavourings to make ice cream from scratch.
- Thursday 19th August – Habitats 2 – See what it takes to make a natural shelter, build a den for nature watching and set up a wildlife camera to monitor the orchard’s night time residents.
- Thursday 26th August – Pollinators – Discover the wildflowers growing around Newquay Orchard whilst surveying the bees around them before making a seed bomb to take home.
- Thursday 2nd September – Take A Walk – Take a look at Newquay’s landscape and biodiversity on a walk along the Discovery Trail spotting the trees in Trenance Gardens along the way.
Growing Futures is an accredited educational programme for young people with an educational healthcare plan or for those who thrive in alternative learning environments. The 2 year course is centred around developing confidence, knowledge and skills.
Whilst a lot of the lessons take place outdoors in The Market Garden, the An Lowarth community grow space and the polytunnels, 2021/22 will see the opening of the brand new classroom building which will house students and a development kitchen.
Taster days will take place at Newquay Orchard from 10am – 2pm on the specified dates and there is free parking at Newquay Sports Centre. The nearest bus stop is Newquay Porth Four Turns and Newquay train station is a 20 minute walk from the urban greenspace.
For any other questions about the taster days please email Matt Camps via matt.camps@nqyorchard.pixolomew.design or phone the office on 01637 877182.
