• The Award for Early Years Team of the Year, (sponsored by the Department for Education)
  • The Forest School Team at Watermead Day Nursery
  • Silver Winners
  • 2022
  • Loughborough, Leicestershire

Josie Ellard is the Forest School Leader working alongside Early Years and Forest School Practitioners at this nursery. She specialises in tool work, willow den building and foraging for edible cooking ingredients to compliment the meals prepared in the woods for the children. Ayla Platts is a Forest School Practitioner who specialises in outdoor physical activities and is an expert in risky play. Ayla specialises in campfire cooking and creates tasty meals and snacks for the children to enjoy.

Kim Lowen is a Forest School Practitioner who is a keen amateur gardener, planning the ‘Edible Garden’ a large planting area where the children can plant, grow, and eat their fruit and vegetable produce. Mel Riley is a Forest School Practitioner, a keen environmentalist who gently nurtures the children’s understanding of their natural environment introducing topics on sustainability, global warming, and re-wilding. Mel provides support for children who may need just that bit of extra support to maximise their experience of the great outdoors.