New outdoor classroom ‘The Clean Planet Tent’ will grow education offer with five new sessions a week

- Wakehurst, RBG Kew's wild botanic garden, welcomed over 12,000 school children in 2024 and the tent will enable another 1,000 students to be educated.

- The gardens offer education sessions for Early Years to A Level stages

- Supported by new partnership with the Clean Planet Foundation

The Clean Planet Foundation has announced a new partnership with Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, to expand Wakehurst’s work with schools with the installation of a brand-new outdoor stretch tent. The new Clean Planet Tent will enhance the current outdoor learning offer (https://www.kew.org/wakehurst/school-visits?utm_source=press&utm_medium=press&utm_content=cleanplanetpr&utm_campaign=w-press) at Wakehurst, where school groups feel inspired with sessions on plant biology, wildlife, seed science and more. This new outdoor classroom provides a purpose-built outdoor space for school groups to feel inspired in a natural environment, as Wakehurst’s team of teachers continue to draw inspiration from the spectacular surroundings. The addition of this new education tent means that Wakehurst will be able to host one additional class each day, enabling approximately 1,000 additional students to bring science to life in the landscape.

Julie Whelan, Learning Manager at Wakehurst, commented:

“We’re thrilled to embark on this partnership with Clean Planet Foundation, a not for profit which embodies Wakehurst’s own values and mission in combatting climate change. This new learning space means we can welcome even more school children to the gardens for informative and engaging sessions, will inspiring minds of all ages. This new exciting partnership means that we will be able continue training the next generation, through both on and off-site learning.”

Wakehurst works with schools, colleges and universities from across the Southeast and beyond, welcoming over 10,000 students each year to the landscape, which has transformed into a living laboratory. The dedicated team of teachers offer curriculum-linked education sessions, which are planned to meet individual requirements and pupils’ needs.

Bertie Stephens, CEO of the Clean Planet Foundation, commented:

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Wakehurst to bring the Clean Planet Tent to life. This new space will allow more young people to learn about science and sustainability surrounded by nature – the best classroom of all. At the Clean Planet Foundation, we believe real change starts with education, and this partnership with Wakehurst, Kew's wild botanic garden is a powerful step in preparing the next generation to protect our planet.”

For more information, images and interviews please contact the Wakehurst PR team at WakehurstPR@Kew.org.

To arrange a school visit or Nature Connectedness teacher training, contact wakehurstschools@kew.org

For more information, about the Clean Planet Foundation visit https://www.cleanplanet.com/foundation

About Wakehurst

Please note that Wakehurst is referred to just as Wakehurst, not Wakehurst Place. It is not a National Trust property.

Wakehurst is Kew’s wild botanic garden in the Sussex High Weald. Its ancient and beautiful landscapes span 535 acres and are a place for escape, exploration, tranquillity, and wonder. Its diverse collection of plants from Britain and around the globe thrive within a tapestry of innovative gardens, temperate woodlands, meadows, and wetlands. Wakehurst is a centre for UK biodiversity and global conservation, seed research and ecosystem science. At its heart is Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, the world’s largest store of seeds from wild plant species.

RBG Kew receives approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needed to support RBG Kew’s vital work comes from donors, membership and commercial activity including ticket sales. In the first six months since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 100,000 visitors with £1 tickets.

At the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, we’re dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With our world-leading research, global partnerships and beloved gardens – home to the world’s most diverse collections of plants and fungi – we’re using our trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity we rely on the critical support of our visitors, not only to sustain the gardens, but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.

NB: Wakehurst’s grounds and Elizabethan Mansion were bequeathed to the National Trust in 1963. It was then entrusted to us here at Kew in 1965, and we now work in partnership with the National Trust to care for our collections and heritage areas.

https://www.instagram.com/wakehurst_kew | https://www.facebook.com/wakehurst.kew

About Clean Planet Foundation

The Clean Planet Foundation is a UK-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to tackling plastic pollution, advancing climate education, and empowering communities through science, storytelling, and action. From the HAPSIE comic series for budding eco-warriors to the Seed Collection Project in partnership with Trees for Life, and the BBC featured Peninsula Project, CPF aims to connect people with nature and drive systemic change from the ground up.

Clean Planet Foundation

+44 (0)203 195 3814

hello@cleanplanet.com

https://cleanplanet.com/foundation

Ashley Maxwell - hello@cleanplanet.com

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