Henshaws Specialist College completes work on its new outdoor classroom and yurt following £25,000 donation by housebuilder

The college provides education, learning and care for young people aged 18 to 25 who have a wide range of disabilities and complex needs.

The addition of the outdoor classroom has enabled the students to develop skills using the natural environment such as investigation, imagination and creativity, with activities including shelter building, bug hunts and climbing.

The yurt also allows for education in the Forest School throughout the year.

Gemma Young, fundraising development manager at Henshaws Specialist College, said: “Our Forest School is a unique educational opportunity for our students to develop confidence through hands-on learning.

"The outdoor learning takes place in a small woodland area on the Henshaws Specialist College campus, and thanks to Barratt Developments Yorkshire East the outdoor classroom is now complete.

“With the donation we were able to have a 22ft yurt with a wood burning stove installed to base the sessions from, so the students can continue to learn outdoors, even in bad weather.

“We were so pleased to welcome Barratt Developments Yorkshire East to the college so they could see how far their generous donation has gone for our students and facilities.”

Daniel Smith, managing director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire East, added: “Henshaws Specialist College offers young people living with disabilities a fantastic support system to learn, socialise and build their confidence.

“It was fantastic to see the Forest School with the new outdoor classroom up and running for students to enjoy.

"This type of learning really promotes young people being active in education, and we’re really pleased to have been able to donate to a project to expand Henshaws’ facilities.”

Henshaws College aims to increase independence by empowering disabled people to go beyond expectations and achieve their ambitions, while also providing a supportive community.

Henshaws is a charity that has been helping people living with sight loss and a range of other disabilities for more than 180 years.

Henshaws has its arts and crafts centre in Knaresborough with a shop, cafe and woodland walk.