A Cheshire charity is launching specialist wellbeing sessions for autistic children as part of a major new contract at an iconic woodland.
Petty Pool has secured the deal at Forestry England Delamere Forest to run outdoor activities at the county’s largest woodland – but says the programme will cater for all ages and abilities.
While the tailored autism-friendly sessions are part of the offer, the new provision is designed to welcome children, young people, families and adults from across the community, with a wide range of inclusive outdoor activities planned.
The organisation already runs a thriving vocational college for young people with learning disabilities at its main base at Sandiway, alongside a popular residential outdoor education centre offering everything from abseiling and canoeing to team-building challenges for all ages and abilities.
Now it’s celebrating the latest milestone by rebranding its outdoor provision as Venturewood – a move that reflects its expansion to a second site and its role as Forestry England’s official outdoor learning partner at Delamere Forest.
According to the charity, the move ushers in “an exciting new era” with a packed programme of activities on the way.
Among them are tailored, autism-friendly wellbeing sessions for smaller groups, structured activities and sensory support, all designed to ensure every child can experience the magic of the great outdoors.
There are also special forest school sessions for children being taught at home as well as parents and toddlers.
Adults are also being catered for with woodland walks, woodwork skills, nature crafts and bushcraft workshops.
Head of marketing and fundraising Nadia Kim said the new contract at Forestry England Delamere Forest would complement the work carried out in Sandiway and allow for a special focus on helping families with autistic children.
She said: “We’ve always had an outdoor centre at Petty Pool, but we were delighted to be successful in our tender to deliver all the forest education here at Delamere Forest as an additional site.
“Our offer includes forest school sessions, woodland workshops, holiday clubs, birthday parties and educational activities open to the wider public – all led by our experienced, friendly instructors.
“One of the key things for Forestry England was inclusivity and we deliver very much an accessible package for anyone and everyone.
“That includes working with our sister charity Autism Practical Support (APS).
“It was previously known as Cheshire Autism Practical Support but in 2024 discussions began about the long-term sustainability of the charity and how the service could continue to support local families.
“The trustees at Petty Pool really felt like they had a responsibility to make sure that services remained available because there is so much cross-over between APS members and the families that we support through Petty Pool.
“APS became part of the Petty Pool family.
“As well as all our usual sessions, we will also have specific autism-friendly sessions at Delamere Forest.
“These sessions have smaller group sizes, they are structured differently so the children and young people know exactly what to expect before they come.
“Through APS we run a whole series of autism-friendly activities such as swimming and kids clubs but up until now we haven’t had any regular groups promoting outdoor wellbeing.
“We all know the benefits of getting outside for your wellbeing, getting off your screens, and that is no different for young people who are autistic, they should be able to access everything other children and young people do.”
The charity’s deputy CEO Wendy Bowyer said the ethos of the new venture is to make outdoor learning as accessible as possible to all parts of the community and was the next stage in the development of the organisation which employs a total of 154 people.
She said: “The charity has been on quite a journey in the last few years, four years ago we employed about 70 or 80 people, so we have been significantly strengthening the work we have been doing.
“The whole reason we went into Delamere Forest, as well as what we offer at Petty Pool, is to share that with a bigger demographic, to more people, to a bigger part of the community.
“We can cater for businesses who want to do some team-building activities, and our focus is always about that connection to nature.
“Everything that is devised in the timetable is very much rooted in Forestry England Delamere Forest’s learning plan and what they want to deliver.”
Providing Venturewood’s outdoor activities there are new staff members Ella Siwinska and Rachel Purser who run their sessions from an on-site classroom near the forest’s visitor centre.
They take place across three dedicated woodland sites just a short walk away.
Deputy manager Ella, 46, said her best memories of her childhood in her native Poland was the time spent in nature – an interest and passion she has retained throughout her life.
She said: “I grew up with the love of the outdoors, my best memories from childhood are being in the woods.
“My professional background is actually in business and marketing but I wanted to step away from the corporate world in London and work in the charity sector so I relocated to Liverpool about six years ago and trained to work outdoors, starting with forest schools.
“We provide nature crafts, guided walks, woodwork skills, bushcraft and survival skills, making campfires, making shelters, using ropes, tying knots, foraging and navigation.”
Rachel Purser, 26, Venturewood’s new outdoor instructor at Delamere Forest, said she was thrilled to have the opportunity to follow her passion for working outdoors.
She said: “We want to make this such a welcoming place to come for everyone, and that can include all-women sessions, that can be family groups, or wellness walks, or men’s mental health bushcraft sessions.
“For example we just had an all-women group here making birdboxes, that was one of our adult workshops.
“And we’ve also been busy doing a lot of holiday clubs for children and they have been enjoying craft-making sessions.”
