A project to create the first national bespoke training, recreation and learning centre for young people and adults with special educational needs and/or disabilities in Ramsgate has successfully completed its second phase of installing the building.
The Hive scheme, headed by Foreland Fields Charity working with Kent County Council and assisted by GPM2 Design Architects & Surveyors, will create an accessible sport and leisure hub behind Foreland Fields School, including a football pitch and sport field, inclusive pavilion, horticulture area, forest school, and arts area.
The hub will be used by the children and young people as well as adults with special education needs and disabilities and partners from the wider local disability community, including Thanet Galaxy PAN Disability Football, Inclusive Sport, Liberty College and East Kent Mencap.
The facility will provide a safe environment to develop a wide range of skills through activities such as football, cricket, athletics, cycling, forest school, music, drama and art projects, outdoor education and gardening, and will help create lifelong learning opportunities for children and young people with learning difficulties and disabilities.
The Foreland Fields Charity has now announced phase one – to prepare the grounds and complete an access road, services and fences – and phase two, for the creation of the Pavilion building, are complete.
The total cost of the project amounts to £1.2million. Funds of £755,000 were secured to complete phase 1 and £450,000 for phase two.
Funding for this phase came from individuals and groups such as the Masons, The Clothworkers Foundation, Baily Thomas, Wolfson Foundation, Peter Harrison, Garfield Weston, Bruce Wake Trust, Lawson Trust and the St James Trust. Along with Bruce Wake Trust, D’oyly Charitable trust, The Gosling foundation, Foyle Foundation, Morrisons foundation, The Troy family trust, Carbon Trust , Saturday hospital/ Baldeep fund, Tesco and Albert Burns with the support of the Kent Community Foundation.
Phase 3 will include creating access pathways, the sensory garden, cycle track, Forest school and furnishing with the specific equipment needed.
The Foreland Fields Charity is now requesting support with this final phase with the main need being for donations and offers around the wheelchair access pathways.
PAN disability football team Thanet Galaxy will have their home stadium at The Hive.
The Hive will have horticulture area for growing various fruits and vegetables to use in the onsite café with all tended to and run by the site users. The Forest school will run courses in woodcraft, wood working, camping skills, facilitate the Duke of Edinburgh award and many more outdoor learning activities.
There will be a multi-use learning area for lessons, sensory play, story-telling, music and drama activities along with training courses like the bike repair qualification.
Diarmuid Molloy, Director of Philanthropy, said: “This is going to be a first-of-its-kind national facility for SEND young people and adults along with their family where they can learn and enjoy safely.”
“This will be a blueprint for how to get 19-25 year olds SEND young people trained and into employment to reduce loneliness or isolation as adults. We hope to train young people to join local large companies and train them to cycle well for example so they can go to work independently!”
How to help
If you’d like to make a donation, have an idea for funding or can volunteer in anyway get in contact at [email protected]
Or find the fundraising page via https://www.foreland.kent.sch.uk/about-us/fundraising/donate-via-justgiving/
Foreland Fields Charity is specifically looking for donations of cladding or someone that can install it, shipping containers, a kitchen that would suit a small cafe and lumber for the raised sensory gardens, We have a list of the various items that would be useful at; https://www.foreland.kent.sch.uk/about-us/fundraising/donate-via-justgiving/
If you’d like a tour, to discuss any ideas, volunteer or any other suggestions please contact Diarmuid Molloy by email at: [email protected]
