DAMP and windy weather conditions did not stop staff, friends and families of Southwell Smiley Faces Pre-School and Out of School Club on Portland from enjoying a day of tree planting.

Thirty trees had kindly been donated by the Woodland Trust as part of their free tree scheme that launched last month after it was revealed that Dorset falls below the national average when it comes to tree cover.

As reported by the Echo, 3,500 tree packs were delivered to schools and community groups throughout the UK as part of the scheme and communities and schools across the county were taking action to help spruce up 29 sites.

Jenny Whyton, manager of Southwell Smiley Faces, saw this as a great opportunity to get the children move involved in outdoor activities.

Families of the pre-school wrapped up and got their hands dirty in a day of tree planting and were later rewarded with bacon rolls, donated by Tesco in Portland, for all their hard work.

Jenny has recently undertaken Level 3 Forest School Leader training delivered by Whitehorse Training in Moreton Forest in an effort to encourage more outdoor learning opportunities for children that extend far beyond the garden.

She is keen to give the children the chance to connect more to nature with opportunities to climb trees, build dens and develop communication and teamwork skills.

Speaking of the extended opportunities to learn, Jenny identified the importance of children playing and learning alongside nature.

She said: "Within the woodland school, children will have the opportunity to identify native plant and tree species as well as investigate the vast array of fauna which inhabit the site, including blue tits, robins, newts and toads.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Whitehorse Training, Sydenhams Weymouth, Dorchester Timber and Cycleccino on Portland for their kind donations and support they have offered in helping her to develop this project, and special thanks to IPACA Southwell Campus for allowing the use of their land."

In her continued effort to encourage more outdoor learning opportunities Jenny has organised a trip to the Woodland School at Moreton Forest later this month for children to be able to see the concept of learning outdoors first hand and put their newly acquired skills into practice.