Outdoor education centre joins network of safe places

Kingswood Trust in Kingswood, near Wolverhampton, has become a Place of Welcome, a network of safe places where people can connect, belong and contribute.

The Places of Welcome programme had been on hold since March last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but has been able to begin reopening its 400 venues across the country as restrictions have been eased.

Kingswood is one of a number of venues joining the programme, with Helen Heywood, community engagement manager at Kingswood, keen to introduce people and get them involved.

The centre is familiar to thousands of school pupils who visit there for day visits, where they take part in activities. It has also been the first overnight stay away from home for many primary school students on residential trips.

It is also open to families and the wider community for activities and events.

Helen said: "Our aim is to get people relaxing in our nature spaces, to enjoy the fresh air, the seasons and to feel happy.

"A morning here, on Mondays and Tuesdays offers volunteering outdoors, the company of others and a hot drink and cake through interacting with each other and nature."

Places of Welcome facilitator and buddying co-ordinator Carrie Blount said Kingswood was a great addition to Places of Welcome and explained how places could become part of the programme.

She said: "One of the goals of the movement is to help build a network of places in each area, where you can make friends and meet people.

"It can be in any location accessible to the public, including churches, mosques, temples, community centres, housing associations, libraries and pharmacies, even community gardens.

"Each one is open to anyone and each one follows the values of place, people, presence, provision and participation.

"It is these values that are the key to the whole movement and therefore these cannot be changed or adapted and each venue agrees to stick to each value."

Ms Blount also said one of the benefits of the programme was giving people a chance to have face to face contact with someone in a safe place and reopening the different venues would help with that.

She said: "People have missed the interaction and we've found that the same people needed to get back and be able to chat to people and talk over what they've experienced in the last 18 months.

"It's good to be able to provide this service again and allow people to come together again and be in a place where they feel safe and enjoy being with other people."

To find out more about Places of Welcome and to find the nearest place, go to placesofwelcome.org.uk