Wildlife park awarded grant to provide free school sessions

Above: The team at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park will be able to provide free sessions to school children, thanks to a grant

A Lincolnshire wildlife park will be able to provide free opportunities for school children thanks to a successful application for extra funding.

We awarded the grant to The Parrot Zoo Trust at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in Boston, allowing the charity to provide free sessions to school children from The Park Academy in Boston.

Organisers at the park applied to our Community Chest, a funding pot for Platform customers and local charities, clubs and other not-for-profit organisations to apply for if their work or project directly benefits Platform customers; all applications are assessed against specific eligibility criteria by customers who sit on its Customer Experience Panel.

The funding means the park can deliver the project – entitled Learning at the Park – over two academic years, starting this September.

Wendy Moore, Funding and Engagement Manager at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park said : “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded these funds. It will ensure the students can visit the park and engage with our Education Officer, promoting a wider understanding of animal welfare and the natural world.”

The outdoor learning will particularly benefit children who are isolated and from low income families, offering free access as well as a transport and insurance subsidy for the school.

Marion Duffy, Chief Operations Officer at Platform Housing Group said: “We are so pleased to support this fabulous initiative; children from low income families are often excluded from taking part in costly outdoor learning experiences so this will be very much welcomed in this area of Lincolnshire.”

Each year, Lincolnshire Wildlife Park welcomes more than 1500 school children.

The National Literacy Trust states that outdoor learning “boosts confidence, social skills, communication, motivation, physical skills, knowledge and understanding”.  Each year, Learning Through Landscapes undertakes research to establish the benefits, both physically and mentally, of outdoor learning and green space; this research highlights how much of an impact accessible outdoor spaces can have on the development of children across the country.