Photo Galleries & Testimonials

“Outdoor playtimes are an invaluable time for the children to let off steam, spend time with their friends, look, grow and be. So what does this look like in a school and during the winter? It has been said that ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing,’ and although we really want to encourage children to play in ALL weathers, practically this isn’t always possible because not all children have ‘suitable’ clothing.

Trousers get muddy, shoes get wet and children become uncomfortable.  This was the situation for us until, one dark, December afternoon when we received a phone call from Gina form The Outdoor Guide Foundation. A local business, ‘Cottage in the Dales’ had funded 10 sets of outdoor clothes for the Foundation and wanted the children at Leyburn Primary School to receive them! This generous gift was a lovely surprise and certainly lifted everyone’s spirits.”

~ Sarah Beveridge, Headteacher, Leyburn Primary School

“ We were immensely grateful when we received your packages containing the waterproofs and wellies, we owe you a big thank you from all the planet protectors here at Northborough school. We have a lovely orchard here at Northborough and the wellies and overalls wil be of great use to us as many children have been stung before when discovering new elements in the orchard.

Thes set of equipment wil ensure that all children are able to explore our amazing outdoor space expose comfortably and safely.”

~ Inaaya, Tayla, A.Jackson and Planet Protectors

“ I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generous donation of waterproofs and wellies. We are a small rural school with low numbers which means budgets and money are very tight, and with high people premium numbers we do need to support a lot of children in our school.

This year we have begun teaching Forest Schools across the whole school as we believe the benefits of outdoor learning does not just improve the children academically but enhances their well-being, emotional and self-esteem along with building on key skills such as team working and learning about the environment around them.

Especially in the winter months, and when it is raining, we do expect the children to wear the right clothing and get outdoors. We do have several children who need additional clothing as they do not get it provided from home. Not having the right kit and clothing makes accessing the outdoors very challenging. Which is why this donation is very much appreciated as we can access to the outdoors all year round and in all weather.

For example, there was torrential rain one week, so the normal Forest School plan could not go ahead. However, as your waterproofs and wellies got delivered the week before the teacher was able to dress the whole class in the right clothing and they did just go outdoors and jump in puddles. Please find the attached photos from this session, without your donation this session would not have happened. It was one of the most enjoyed forest school sessions that classes had.”

~ Jessica Jack

“We are truly grateful for the waterproofs and wellies that you sent to us at Barnack C of E Primary School. It has enabled our children to enjoy the outdoors comfortably! We have found them to be particularly useful during our Forest School sessions and on trips to the farm.”

~ Kate Joubert – Head of School

Tracey Crouch MP, a long-time advocate for outdoor education and physical activity, stated,

“I am thrilled to support the Waterproof & Wellies campaign, as it aligns perfectly with my commitment to promoting healthy and active lifestyles among children.  Access to the outdoors is essential for their physical and mental wellbeing, and Nikwax’s generous support will make a real difference.”

~ Tracey Crouch, MP

The wellies and waterproofs donated were an invaluable help for our ELC and enhancing outdoor learning as well as outdoor family engagement. We were lucky enough to get a variety of sizes which permitted us to be able to include older siblings in our family engagement; we have recently set up a Stay and Play for families to come take part in outdoor activities with the staff and the pupils, we have set up a Family Planting where we are helping to educate families on sustainability through growing our own foods which happens once a fortnight. The pupils of the nursery help maintain the garden the rest of the time, through having the Wellies and Waterproofs it allows the children to be outdoors in all weathers which in this has helped us with our Donation Station and we are creating Soup Packs for our families to take home using all of the vegetables we have grown. Out with family engagement these waterproofs have let our children having outdoor learning no matter the weather in both our garden and the local community. It has taken a lot of pressure off our parents to provide outdoor clothing and means that their children are not missing out on any experiences. It has been a wonderful resource than we are so very grateful to have been part of!

~ Shelley Macleod

Many thanks for the donation of wellies and waterproof trousers to Kingsland Primary School. They have been used for children attending forest school and  given to our P7s for their residential trip to an outdoor activity centre.

This has significantly reduced the cost of providing appropriate outdoor wear for many of our families. The smaller sizes are in our nursey for every day outdoor play.

~ Chloe

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the very generous amount of wellies and waterproofs that we received at school from your company recently.

These have enabled many more of our Early Years and Year 1 children to access our forest areas and enjoy a wide range of activities, including puddle jumping, making mud pies and hunting for mini beasts!

These have truly opened up new areas of our curriculum for so many of our children. Thank you for your support, the staff and more importantly the children truly appreciate your generosity.

~ Ms Barham – Headteacher

Thank you so much for our waterproofs and wellies, we are so pleased with them. Being a rural school, we like to take advantage of our beautiful local environment and spend as much time as possible outside. With our new sets of waterproofs we can ensure that every child is  fully equipped to enjoy the outside whether it be one of our forest school sessions, gardening clubs, nurture groups or free play.

We are so grateful that our school is now part of your foundation and look forward to having lots more fun outside.

~ Christine – Learning Support Assistant & Forest School Leader

I had a very active childhood, always exploring outdoors, getting muddy and going on adventures. It gave me my continued love for the great outdoors, hiking and wildlife today. It’s something that I would expect every child to have access to so it was fantastic to see that your charity help children get outside and enjoy being with nature.

My Coast to Coast hike was a personal challenge but I also wanted to help others which is why I chose to raise funds for The Outdoor Guide Foundation. Being able to support local schools and children made this even more special.

~ Steph Woodley