tobyroberts

This post is written by Curtis Howson and Peter Baker; we are trainee teachers at Leeds Trinity University and have been working at Skelton Grange Environment Centre for the past two weeks as part of our professional ...
Continue reading Our time at Skelton Grange- view from trainee teachers on placement

Its a big night in Leeds! Some of our team are off to the Child Friendly Leeds Awards tonight - to see which organisations in Leeds are being recognised for the wonderful work they do with young people in the city. The ...
Continue reading Volunteer blogs – with Child Friendly Leeds

One of my aims for this year is to give our volunteers a chance to contribute to this Blog. So its over to Louise Gibson, one of our Volunteer Officers for her thoughts on her introduction to hedgelaying... "As I start ...
Continue reading Learning the ancient art of Hedgelaying – in 3 days.

The finishing touches have now been put to the big new pond project at Skelton Grange and the wildlife is settling in now. Thanks to the support of First Direct and WREN, as well as all the volunteers who got involved in the ...
Continue reading A bigger splash: Skelton Grange pond is complete!

Summer is here. Really. You wouldn't necessarily think it today as the rain pours down outside the window, but it is. And everything is growing like crazy. A week of work and the site is more green and vibrant than ever; path ...
Continue reading Alien Invaders! Banish the Balsam week…

After more than twenty years of hard work by volunteers the Skelton Grange site is now home to lots of wildlife; what was once a patch of mown grass near a power station is now a vibrant mix of meadows, ponds, woodland and ...
Continue reading Working on the Wild Side

So far this year the practical work at Skelton Grange has been dominated by one thing. A pond. A BIG pond. Thanks to the support of First Direct and WREN, we are in the process of constructing a brand new dipping pond, for ...
Continue reading Pond in progress: A big splash at Skelton Grange

Its been a busy winter in the woods at Skelton Grange - with coppicing and tree felling taking place, and lots of eager volunteers. The woodlands that were planted 20 years ago are now providing a whole range of ...
Continue reading Coppicing and Winter in the Woods

Wow, a big change in just a few days - I started writing about autumn the other day, because there were some amazing colours everywhere - it was late November but most of the trees were still looking spectacular.   ...
Continue reading Forever Autumn

There seems to be a growing revival in craft activity at the moment, which includes a return to traditional practical skills and tools. Some of this is being looked at as a  'return to simple'; a chance to get  hands on, in ...
Continue reading Old and New