Whitelands works with a wide variety of people in all kinds of businesses. This diversity is what makes the project work. Elsa Donovan runs children’s holiday clubs and school trips at the wood, and here she tells us a little more about her work… 

See Elsa’s site at https://elsadonovan.com


Elsa:


My job is to create a happy environment for children to learn new skills, to interact and socialise with each other. I am a teacher /facilitator and I co-ordinate the clubs.
How do you work with the Whitelands Project CIC? 
Our children’s clubs include yoga music, arts, games, den building, foraging, whittling, nature walks and lots more. We combine our skills as a team and work well together. Providing a relaxed and exciting place to enjoy and thrive. Whitelands provides lots of natural materials that we use to make things with the children. It also gives them and us a fascinating place to explore and a chance to learn how wood works and how we can look after it. It is a perfect place for seasonal teachings alongside nature. 

How does your work contribute to conserving the woodland?
Our clubs provides a regular income and also teaches children of all different ages, they can help with maintenance and practice with different materials. They learn lots about wildlife too which really fascinates them.
Why did you choose to work with the Whitelands Project? 
Whitelands will always be close to my heart. Not just because I enjoy the wood’s beauty and really enjoying seeing how much children enjoy it but because of the friendship I developed with Jonathan West. We had very similar ideas and there was a great deal of trust between us. Jonathan had this amazing ability to win over all of the children with his enigmatic presence and sense of fun. The children were always so inspired by him and loved all of the activities he provided and the skills he taught. Jonathan really got a lot out of seeing children enjoy the wood and we felt proud with our achievements. We have had so much good feedback over the years about how much the children enjoyed it and parents are always surprised with what their children achieved. It is a relaxed and beautiful place for everyone to learn. We have many come back every holiday. I am very proud to be a part of it. 


If you would like to find out more about Elsa Donovan, children’s clubs, parties and yoga, take a look on her website.

And remember it’s not too late to book places on the holiday clubs!