A blog about our Fun Mudder event and defibrillator fundraising project.

March was a month of topsy turvy weather.  We all started to enjoy the sunshine and Spring weather, seeing the lambs being born, leaves shooting and daffodils growing.  We Spring-cleaned the garden which is always a great job to do after the Winter as we start to use the garden in a different way over the warmer months.  And then the snow, and sleet and hail came!  The month finished off in a way of bonkers weather, giving children a last chance of enjoying some snow, which hadn’t made an appearance all Winter.  Children made snow angels, sledged down the mud mountain and explored the properties as the snow melted, bringing magic to the children.

Our Rangers after school club finished the last day of the month off with a Fun Mudder Event to raise funds for our defibrillator fund.  Over the last couple of weeks, we have been busy creating some woodland obstacles in Farmer Brian’s wood for the event and afterwards they will extend the continuous provision in that base camp.  The event started by balancing over a large tree trunk, over an A-frame before clambering over a tree stump stack and balancing over the new woodland climbing dome.  Children then went over the stilts before more balancing obstacles, which then led to the camouflage net, where the children had to crawl army style underneath.  The next section was the true muddy challenge, there was a plank bridge over a boggy area and children could choose to go under or over it, some adventurous children were brave enough to go underneath and had to shimmy through getting really muddy!  The course continued and the children went up and down the mud mountain, jumping through some tyres and finishing by climbing over a pallet den.  The children all showed amazing perseverance and resilence completing the challenging course and during a heavy snow and hail shower!  They certainly deserved the sponsopship money they earnt.  On completing the course they headed to the fire in the middle and enjoyed a hot chocolate with cream and toasted marshmallows to warm themselves up.  The children all then received a certificate and Easter egg to take away.

Sammy and Robert organised the Fun Mudder event as part of an after school club course they are currently completing called Community Activator Course through Inspire+ charity.  The event was a true success and I was proud of us all coming together to get ready for the event and the determination and personal skills showcased by the children during the event.

The money raised from this event has meant we are now able to purchase a defibrillator to be based at nursery, which is really fantastic.  We appreciate everyone’s contributions to this event along with the raffle and second hand uniform sales since Christmas.  The raffle received the most generous of prizes from a range of organisations and individuals and the response from our families in buying tickets was incredible.  With the number of children, staff and parents visiting the nursery every day, along with our isolated location, we felt this was something we wanted to have.  It will be based in a unit outside the front of the building.

Fundraising for the defibrillator has united the nursery and all of our families, we really do have a special community at Great Wood Farm.

Written by Kate Robinson