Into the woods on trail of ethical business venture

Elly Blackwell is in her element.

She is in the forest showing Jenna Fisher how to use traditional carving methods to turn a piece of wood into something useful.

“You cannot overestimate the joy and self esteem it gives someone to create something from virtually nothing,” says Elly.

It is all part of FoCAL, (Forest Community and Adult Learning), a new service in a wood on the outskirts of Sheffield for young adults with learning disabilities and autism, based on the beliefs and ideas of Forest Schools.

The philosophy of Forest Schools is to encourage and inspire individuals of any age through positive outdoor experiences over an extended period of time.

FoCAL, is a not-for-profit project set up by her mother Sarah Blackwell, but run by Elly as part of her placement from university in Cardiff where she is studying International Business Management.

The inspiration behind FoCAL is one of Elly’s brothers Aaron who is austistic.

It is also helped by the fact that her mother, Sarah, owns and runs the largest Forest School training company in the UK, Archimedes, which recently expanded into international markets.

Elly’s enthusiasm about the important role the outdoors and forestry skills has for young and old alike is infectious.

Next month sees the launch of a new project, Kindergarten Forest School, where pre-school children will be taught all manner of bushcraft.

“It is so important for them to learn these skills,” says Elly. “The idea was first developed in Denmark. The children get used to working in groups, in extreme conditions. They learn to 
use tools and it is fantastic 
for their confidence and 
self-esteem.”

Recent research for JCB Kids and supported by Play England, found that today’s children are more inclined to stay indoors and watch TV or play computer games than go outside and play.

Today’s youngsters venture outside for just over an hour each weekday and less than five hours in Saturday and Sunday. In the ‘70s and ‘80s that figure was double.

“If kids aren’t outside digging their toes in mud and making daisy chains and loving their own environment, who’s going to be the next Chris Packham and Sir David Attenborough?” said Cath Prisk, Play England’s director. “If kids can play out with people they know in familiar places, its just so good for them. They’re happier, healthier and they’re having fun.”

This is something Elly feels really strongly about.

“It is so good for them to outside exploring and learning new skills,” she says.

Sport has played a key role in Elly’s life. From the age of five she was a successful gymnast, quickly progressing to national level.

As secondary school in Sheffield she discovered she had an aptitude for the trampolining and once again was selected for the England squad, training up to 30 hours a week and achieving a top five position at the British Trampoline Championships.

She was also selected to join the world class start programme in diving, but trampolining was always her first love. She is now captain of the university trampolining team and has started coaching.

“I could never step away from it completely,” says Elly.

As well as sport, business has always been a key driver for this ambitious young woman.

At the age of 16 she managed the Dangerous Adventure Club in Eccleshall Woods organising children outdoor birthday parties and holiday clubs based around the ethos of Forest Schools.

“I have always been surrounded by successful business people and I want to be one of them,” says Elly.

“My brother Joe lives in Thailand and runs his own business.”

But unlike many young entrepreneurs whose driving force is becoming wealthy, Elly’s prime driver is helping others. “Making money has never really interested me,” she says. “I know that I will have to make enough to pay the bills and the mortgage at some stage but at the moment I want to do things which help make other people’s lives easier.”

She is currently working on a number of business ideas including a frozen yoghurt company and a cinema club.

Much of this desire to help others could be traced back to her brother Aaron, 25, who still lives in the family home although he struggles to have an ordinary life.

“It is very hard. I know my parents worry about what will happen to Aaron.

“We have taught him to use the bus, and so social services think he is okay, but he wouldn’t remember to have a wash or clean his teeth unless he was told to, so he really does need a lot of support,” says Elly.

“It is hard for him too. He sees me, his little sister, working and driving a car and these are things he 
really wants.

“He wants to live independently, but it is so hard to access the right level of support.”

It is clear she worries about Aaron and doesn’t want to be too far away from home in case she is needed to help. Elly learnt to be independent herself from an early age when her parents divorced.

Rather than choosing a parent to live with, she would carry everything she owned from Buxton where her mother lived, to Sheffield where her father lives, every Friday to spend alternate week with her parents

Now she is well on the road to becoming an ethical entrepreneur.

Forest schools are branching out

Based on a Scandinavian idea of embracing the outdoors as a learning environment, Forest School involves children and young people working with a qualified Forest School Leader on a frequent and regular basis throughout the year (ideally once a week) in a local woodland setting or on a designated Forest School site. Some sites have been developed on school grounds. Forest Schools were implemented here in the 1950s and it has since extended throughout the world. In the 1980s the Forest Schools concept was established in Denmark for pre-school children. This stemmed from Early Years Education, and in the 1990s was visited by nurses from Somerset and independently by those from other early years professionals around the UK.

It is becoming increasingly recognised that this ‘outdoor’ approach to learning and play can have a great effect on the natural development of children. For more information on setting up a Forest School visit www.forestschools.com

For more on the FoCAL project visit www.focalsheffield.com.