Meet the team
Sunita, Nikki, Sarah, Chris and Avril are all experienced and passionate about Forest School and the benefits of being outdoors in nature. Mollie, the labradoodle also loves to come along too!
Director, Out to the Woods CIC
Hi, I’m Sunita, a mum, primary school teacher, Level 3 qualified forest school leader and director of the newly formed Out to the Woods CIC.
Qualifications:
- PGCE 7-11, Qualified Teacher Status
- Co-opted Director at the Forest School Association
- Wilderness Outdoor First Aid Venturer Medicine
- Outdoor Food Safety Blake Training Ltd
- Mental Health First Aid 2021
- Prevent Training 2019
- Child Protection/Safeguarding 2020
- GDPR Training 2019
- Enhanced DBS
- Field Studies Identification Certificate (Level 1)
Ongoing training:
- Nature Connectedness, University of Derby
- Dementia Skills sessions, Dementia Adventure
I like cooking a range of foods especially Indian dishes using fresh, wholesome ingredients. I also love being out in the garden and going for walks in nature - more so since starting my forest school training.
My hope for the future is to run a successful forest school that caters to the needs of the wider community. I firmly believe that forest school is not just for children and young people but can also have a positive impact on people with dementia, the elderly and people who are lonely. I really hope that more and more people will be able to get OUT TO THE WOODS and enjoy the benefits of being in nature.
Niki
Hi, my name is Niki and I have been a teacher since 1999. I continue to love working with the youngest children in the Early Years. In 2019 I began my Forest School journey a little unsure what it would involve but keen to develop my knowledge and understanding of how to enable the children to get the best experiences possible from their time outside. The Forest School course has had more impact on my thoughts about how we teach and educate out of the many courses I have attended In over 20 years of teaching! I have always loved the outdoors and tried to teach outside whenever possible but completing the Forest School Leader training really opened my eyes even further to the immeasurable benefits of teaching and learning in nature.
Training:
Read History Homerton College Cambridge in 1999
Teacher Training Forest School Leader 2019
Cheers Niki xx
Sarah
Hello, my name is Sarah,
My favorite colour is green, I enjoy getting muddy and I love the smell of rain! Since being married into a military lifestyle my passion for the outdoors has grown, it has ethused my parenting skills and my teaching styles to educate children whilst having fun, being active and being outdoors in all weather's as often as we can.
Currently I teach early years children at a local primary school. I have 10 years teaching experience working with children of all year groups and have developed an onsite forest school area for children in early years foundation stage.
Qualifications
- BA Honours Degree in Childhood Studies
- Level 3 Forest School Leader
- I hold a valid enhanced DBS
- 2 day outdoor & paedieatric first aid course
- Child protection training
- Safeguarding training
- Prevent training
We will have so much fun here at this beautiful woodlands.
Here is a little joke for you...
Why do bees have sticky hair?
Because they love their honeycomb.
See you soon Sarah
Chris
Chris has had a lifelong passion for wildlife and the outdoors studying biological sciences at Swansea University. In his youth he was involved in living history demonstrations recreating the crafts and skills of Saxon England for the public. A long serving local Scout leader, Chris has a wealth of bush craft experience and is now training towards Forest School qualifications.
Avril
I am a Forest School leader and teacher, but I was a florist for 10 years before I started my teaching career. My mother is a florist and using flowers and plants creatively is in my blood. I love creating all types of floristry and specialise in wedding flowers, but my favourite is when I can pick or select flowers and plants directly from the forest. It is a wonderfully meditative experience which enables a deep connection with the forest environment. Throughout the spring, summer and autumn the woodland is an enchanting place to immerse yourself in nature.
The Cromarty Trust
Gorham and Admiral woods was purchased in 2004 by the Cromarty Trust on behalf of the parish of Bicknor in the North Kent Downs.
Allison Wainmann is the project co-ordinator and one of the trustees of the Cromarty Trust; I will be working closely with her and the trust to help get more people out to the woods.
Kent Experience
We will be working alongside Visit Kent and Kent Downs AONB to develop unique visitor experiences to Gorham and Admiral woods in the charming little village of Bicknor in the North Downs of Kent.