FORMER primary school head teacher Adrian Wood from Weymouth has stepped into a new role educating children.

He has joined the Ernest Cook Trust education charity at its 2,100-acre Trent Estate near Sherborne.

The charity runs free countryside education programmes for schools to help children learn from the land.

Adrian said: “I’m loving it.

“It’s a job made in heaven.

“I have a real passion for teaching children about the environment and the countryside, so this gives me an opportunity to do more regularly what I’ve always loved doing.”

The Ernest Cook Trust’s Gore Farm education centre in Trent is run by Stuart and Tessa Casely.

It gives visiting children the chance to see a working farm in action, to learn about habitats and go pond-dipping.

With Adrian on the team, ECT is able to provide cross-curricular learning experiences on the working farm and, for the first time, in all the estate’s woodland and wetland areas too.

The education team caters for all ages and key stages, and aims to become the outdoor classroom for all local schools.

In the past school year, more than 20,000 children have visited the trust’s farms, rivers and woodlands nationwide.

With visitor numbers growing year-on-year, the trust is expanding its education team to meet the increased demand.

Trust director Nicholas Ford said: “We are really delighted to welcome Adrian to the fold. His appointment means we can build on the already excellent work with schools taking place at Gore Farm.”

The trust was founded in 1952 by the philanthropist Ernest Cook, grandson of Thomas Cook, founder of the travel agency. Each year the trustees distribute £1.6m in educational grants to benefit children and young people.

Visit ernestcooktrust.org.uk for more details.