New Lawshall educational facility opened in memory of environmentalist Grenville Clarke
A new classroom has been unveiled to support children and young people with complex needs.
Elizabeth Clarke, widow of naturalist and environmentalist Grenville Clarke, BEM, opened the the Grenville Clarke Studio Classroom assisted by Clare, Countess of Euston, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk.
The building is located at the headquarters of Suffolk charity, The Green Light Trust, in Lawshall .
The new facility, which officially opens today, provides a dedicated classroom which will enable the trust to expand its support for those children and young people in Suffolk who have complex needs which cannot be easily met within a mainstream educational setting.
The dedicated space enables the educational needs and development of participants to be supported either on a one-to-one basis or within small groups.
This is in addition to the participants having access to the woodland and green space, a key part of the work that the Green Light Trust undertakes.
The trust will now be able to expand its educational offering to vulnerable groups of young people delivering GCSE courses in addition to the programmes which the Trust currently runs.
The existing courses use the 'power of nature' as a catalyst to improve wellbeing which leads to better life choices, opportunities, and outcomes.
“I am delighted to be opening this new facility in memory of my late husband," said Elizabeth Clarke.
"Throughout his life, Grenville was passionate about the environment. He was largely self-taught, but he amassed a prodigious knowledge of both flora and fauna which led him to inspire thousands of others to take up an interest in Suffolk’s natural environment, “said Elizabeth Clarke.
“A friend of The Green Light Trust for nearly three decades, my husband would be delighted to know that a former tool store has been repurposed to provide a facility that will inspire future generations not only with a love of nature, but with the impetus to refocus and keep their lives
Tom Brown, CEO of The Green Light Trust said, “I am delighted to welcome Elizabeth Clarke to open this new building for us today.
"Those who knew him will recognise that Grenville was an inspiration for me and for thousands of others.
"His work in Frithy and other community woodlands highlighted that those woods previously seen as too small to be economically viable could be managed effectively. Grenville had a vision to develop programmes based around the on-going management of Frithy Wood to aid the recovery for adults who were facing major challenges such as poor mental health and substance misuse.
"This has remained the fundamental ethos and methodology of The Green Light Trust to this day.”
The new facility was largely funded by the Heritage lottery’s Covid Emergency funding with support from local Suffolk business, Barenbrug UK.
Read more: All the latest news from Suffolk
Read more: All the latest news from Bury St Edmunds