NGO Educational Trust Attends Countryside Learning Estate Day

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More than 170 children from six local primary schools enjoyed a Countryside Learning day at Millichope Park estate, in Shropshire. Countryside Learning is a charity which organises around 60 estate visits a year and works in partnership with the estates to put on the days.

The children, aged 7 to 11 from both rural and urban schools, participated in learning sessions delivered across the estate, which included gamekeeping, livestock husbandry, gardening, gundog training, woodland management and fishing.

Delivering the talk on gamekeeping, Brian Hayes, Administrator of the NGO Educational Trust said: ‘At this age we can introduce the idea of an holistic approach to conservation, which includes not only habitat management but also necessary predator control, and the benefits this has for many species of vulnerable wildlife.’

Speaking about the day, Countryside Learning Chief Executive Gary Richardson said: ‘This age is an optimum age for open minds. The children will remember these experiences when they are older and will understand that the countryside is managed and that difficult decisions have to be made. They see that the countryside is about real people and real jobs and an estate visit explains this better than any book.’

Jonathan Brough, a teacher from Corvedale Primary in Diddlebury, Shropshire, said: ‘These days are great for the kids to appreciate what is around them.’

The Millichope Park estate opens its gates to school children once a year and enjoys the opportunity to show visitors the work it is doing. Speaking about the estate, where he is Headkeeper, NGO Chairman Liam Bell said: ‘We are proud of what we do here at Millichope and it’s great to share this with both the children and the teachers. I would definitely encourage other estates to do the same.’

If you are interested in hosting an estate day, please contact Countryside Learning at www.countrysidelearning.org

The NGO Educational Trust can be contacted at – info@gamekeeperstrust.org.uk

Editors’ notes

The National Gamekeepers' Organisation Educational Trust is Registered Charity number 1076923. As the name suggests, its founding body was the National Gamekeepers' Organisation (NGO), but the NGO Educational Trust is an independent charity, with separate Trustees who are bound by the Charity Commission to conduct their work in a balanced and factual manner.

Countryside Learning is Registered Charity number 327091. Its mission is to educate, inform and inspire children, parents and teachers, so they can enjoy and appreciate the countryside while having a greater understanding of the wide range of issues surrounding it.