Clean Planet Foundation expands partnership with Wakehurst by offering of Nature Connectedness teacher training

An expanded partnership between the Clean Planet Foundation and Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, means that 100 additional educators across the UK will be able to benefit from bespoke Nature Connectedness training sessions. Following the successful launch of the training earlier this year, Wakehurst is expanding the existing offer with new sessions led by trained professionals and informed by scientific research.

This exciting offer equips teachers with the skills to lead their pupils in exploring nature connection, designed to improve wellbeing, reduce anxiety and empower young people to take action for the natural world.

The two-hour sessions can be held either at Wakehurst, participants’ schools, or a local green space, and mark an essential first step in engaging the next generation in pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. The training is driven by the ground-breaking Nature Connectedness research taking place at Wakehurst, the wellbeing strand of the scientific research programme, Nature Unlocked. Over the past two years, the biodiverse landscape in Sussex has become a living laboratory, as scientists explore how adults and children respond to nature and the measurable impacts it has on mental and physical wellbeing.

Julie Whelan, Learning and Development Manager at Wakehurst, and training facilitator, commented:

“We’re delighted to be offering these brand-new sessions in partnership with the Clean Planet Foundation, meaning we can share our learnings with even more educators. Nature Connectedness plays such a vital role in the education programme here at Wakehurst, and it's a privilege to be able to encourage the next generation to not only care for nature, but to be inspired by it too.”

This new partnership has also supported the unveiling of the Clean Planet Tent, a new outdoor learning space that will enable another 1,000 students to be educated in the gardens. Wakehurst works with schools, colleges, and universities from 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 offers curriculum-linked education sessions, which are planned to meet individual requirements and pupils’ needs.

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

For more information, about the Clean Planet Foundation visit 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.

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.