Brilliant few days last week – Preschool was offered a few hundred pounds from a local charity and we decided to put it towards training our staff to deliver forest schools activities. So we asked our friendly local trainer to come on over and give us his best for three days… but there’s only four staff at Preschool – and he could take 12 on such a course, so what to do? In true community development style, we flung the doors wide and invited everyone in. Staff and volunteers from the local first and middle schools came along, along with local people who teach at other schools in Tynedale, and a dance practitioner and a community activist. Already there’s a lot of cross fertilisation happening – talks of shared outdoor activties on transfer days, plans for re-using vacant buildings, running play schemes in the holidays, volunteering in the different settings. The Preschool kids have already been building dens and hammering leaves to make patterns on bunting. Wonder where this will take us – just shows how far a small amount of cash and a lot of enthusiasm will take you. Little acorn? Your saplings are shooting already.