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Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Description
Monmouthshire FEI has approximately 50 members, representing a wide range of organisations and individuals who have an interest in some aspect of forestry, timber and education. One or more teachers from ten local schools come to as many meetings as they can, as do representatives from Brecon Beacons National Park, Gwent Wildlife Trust, Coed Cymru, Forestry Commission, Wye Valley AONB, Monmouthshire County Council, British Waterways and Welsh Water. Meetings are generally well attended, usually by between 10 and 20 members.
Cluster Group members find the group useful for making contact with people who can help with a particular project, for example providing a log circle in school grounds, or for sharing ideas and keeping up to date with what is going on in forestry and environmental education in Monmouthshire. The Group provides a source of information about funding for education projects and resources available to education providers, such as the new Monmouthshire County Council Countryside Code interactive display which is currently visiting local schools.
Meetings take place four or five times a year and the location varies to give members a chance to visit Forest Schools and other relevant sites around the county. For example, in the past year, meetings have taken place at Durand Primary School in Caldicot, where the group was able to explore the conservation area and at Gwent Wildlife Trust’s Magor Marsh Reserve. The next meeting will be at Gilwern Outdoor Education Centre where a new Forest School is being set up.
The Monmouthshire Cluster Group has undertaken several FEI funded projects in recent years, including tree nurseries at Shirenewton Primary School and Mounton House Special School, a wood sculpture project in Abergavenny, the ongoing Forest Schools for Monmouthshire Project and of course the fantastic Goytre Wharf Literacy Trail.
New members are welcome to attend Monmouthshire FEI Cluster Group meetings. To find out when the next meeting is, see below or contact Rachel Smith.
The next FEI Cluster Group meeting will be on Thursday 14th September 2006 at County Hall, Cwmbran.
Local projects
| Wood Sculptures in Abergavenny |
| April 2005 |
Cross curriculum |
All ages |
 A mature blue cedar tree killed by honey fungus needed to be felled so the timber was put to good use in producing fantastic sculptures in Abergavenny.
Pupils from Park Street Infant School and adults from a nearby day centre worked with Monmouthshire Countryside Service and a local wood sculptor on the project. The children contributed their ideas for carvings representing Abergavenny's history to be incorporated into the sculptures, the first of which was sited in the community gardens.
The school children also produced designs for a school bench to be sculpted from the same tree and placed in their grounds. First they drew their designs on paper then made them from modelling clay and florist's foam.
Later, the remaining timber was used to produce two more sculptures both now placed in day centres in Abergavenny.
For more information about the project, please contact marklangley@monmouthshire.gov.uk. |
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Local Groups
