North East and Yorkshire

West Boldon Lodge

West Boldon Lodge LogoWest Bolden Lodge

West Boldon Lodge is part of the National Grid environmental education centre network. The education centre delivers school visits, family activities and education and conservation volunteering. West Boldon Lodge is an eco-cabin on a local nature site with woodland, ponds and meadows.

West Boldon Lodge connects people with nature through play, learning and conservation. The experienced staff team run fun and informative family activities, facilitate immersive learning visits for schools, and support adults to develop skills and confidence through volunteering and workshops on our inspiring nature site.

Following government guidance to help restrict the spread of Coronavirus and reduce pressure on the NHS, West Boldon Lodge is currently operating at a reduced capacity due to Covid-19. We are taking care to follow local and national restrictions at all times.

We have a new Covid-safe offer for schools, when visits are permitted. We have a selection of volunteering opportunities, including remote volunteering during periods of lockdown. We are also running community events for restricted numbers when it is safe to do so. For details on any of this, email westboldonlodge@groundwork.org.uk.

For updates, sign up to our public mailing list or follow us on facebooktwitter and Instagram.

To view our Covid-19 Risk Assessment and other essential information, click here.”

We’re sharing activity ideas and educational videos on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels to help you continue to connect with nature, be creative and learn.

Visit our website to book events, such as Santa’s Winter Wonderland

Family activities

Visit Ticket Tailor to view and book our upcoming activities and events.

West Boldon Lodge run activities for babies to adults. All our events are inclusive for everyone to come and have fun and learn. From open days to come and enjoy the site self-led, to our ever popular Santa’s Winter Woodland, and our weekly Forest Playschool sessions, there’s opportunities for everyone to join our team for a fun day out.

  • Forest Playschool is our weekly session for pre-school children aged 1-5 and their parents. With crafts, games and exploring on a different theme each week, plus a campfire and stories or songs in every session, there’s no wonder some families have been coming every week for years!
  • Open Days give you a low cost option to visit West Boldon Lodge to enjoy all the site has to offer. Adults and children of any age can explore the site. Choose to do a spot of bird watching, make a pie in our mud kitchen, or see what you can find in our minibeast hunting area.
  • At our Themed Activity Days you can explore the site at your own pace, plus take part in crafts, games and other exciting themed activities at various points with our team of experienced staff.
  • Workshops are small, focused sessions where you will learn a new skill through hands-on practice. Group sizes are limited so our staff can give you focused time and attention to help adults or children develop.
  • We also hold large Seasonal Events at Christmas, Halloween and Easter where our staff lead small groups on exciting adventures. Places are always limited and often sell out. Pre-booking is essential. Get your tickets from Ticket Tailor now.

Outdoor Education

School visits

Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle believe hands on, immersive educational experiences enable children to learn about, develop an interest in, and truly understand topics. We have been putting this into practice, delivering high quality, engaging and informative education programmes with excellent outcomes, for more than two decades.

Our latest offer includes programmes closely linked to the history, geography and science curricula, as well as programmes designed specifically to enrich the lives and learning of your pupils. Through all our delivery, we aim to foster an interest in learning, a connection with the world around us, and to develop essential life skills such as communication, team working and self-confidence. The programmes on offer vary from 2 hour sessions to year-long schemes. We also support schools to embed our holistic learning approach into your day to day teaching and learning with staff training, school grounds development, and partnership work.

Contact us for details of our offer or to arrange a bespoke visit at education.stan@groundwork.org.uk or on 0191 5364873.

School Visits

SONY DSC

Volunteer

We couldn’t give as many children and adults access to our thriving nature site without the amazing work of our dedicated volunteers. If you’d like to join the team, you can help to create a welcoming space for people to learn, conserve the site for the benefit of wildlife, or support children to grow and develop. In return, you’ll gain valuable experience and qualifications, be welcomed into the West Boldon Lodge family, and receive tailored support to help you get what you want from your time volunteering.

  • Volunteer Education Assistants help to deliver our school visits and/or family activities. Whether you want to observe how we run, or get experience leading sessions yourself, we’ll give you the support and training to succeed. Work in this sector unfortunately often requires experience, so this is the ideal volunteering opportunity for anyone wanting to get into teaching or outdoor education.
  • Volunteer Site Maintenance Assistants support us in maintaining the balance between educational space and wildlife sanctuary. Whether you’re great at woodwork, an ecology expert, or just like getting your hands dirty and seeing a job well done, you can make a valuable contribution to the Lodge.

For the above posts, you should be able to volunteer ideally once per week or more.

  • Our Practical Conservation Volunteer group meet twice per month on Wednesdays 10:00 – 3:00 to carry out essential site maintenance and enhancements including footpath clearance, willow weaving, meadow raking and more.

For further details on all these positions, including how to apply, email westboldonlodge@groundowork.org.uk or call us on 0191 5364873.

Volunteering

West Boldon Lodge site and building

West Boldon Lodge is the only centre of its kind in South Tyneside which combines a 13 hectare nature site, with a large, bright and inspiring log cabin. The site boasts diverse habitats including woodlands, ponds, and meadows. These are managed using traditional methods to benefit wildlife and people.

The site also includes an allotment, campfire circles, an outdoor classroom and a Woodland Realm that provides novel stimuli for young children to grow emotionally, physically and intellectually in an outdoor environment. The whole site has been developed over nearly 20 years, balancing natural space with accessibility, to provide safe and secure surroundings for all to learn about and build a positive connection with the natural world.

The centre, constructed by National Grid, opened in August 2010 and is an Erlund House Log Cabin constructed from high quality Northern Pine logs grown in Finland. The Lodge’s eco credentials including solar hot water, wood burning stoves as supplementary heating and natural cellulose fibre made from recycled paper insulation demonstrate Groundwork and National Grid’s commitment to sustainability.

We offer competitive hire of our bright, inspiring conference room with 100 person capacity, our entire centre with 200 person capacity, and our site for selected activities for businesses and individuals. Contact us at westboldonlodge@groundowork.org.uk or on 0191 5364873 for more information.

West Boldon Lodge

National Grid Environmental Education Centre Network