Off-grid Eco-friendly Woodland Classroom

Hello again, dear supporters, Thanks to your ongoing donations, additional fundraising, talented builders and an incredible team, we really are nearly there. And we are 'nearly there' enough to be able to have moved in! WORK PROGRESS in the six weeks following our last report was phenomenal and fundraising and donations kept pace to the point where, by the all-important weekend of 8th/ 9th December, the following had been achieved: - ALL the internal walls were up and ALL the doors were in (and working!). - The staircase was fixed in place AND had banisters (no more going down backwards!). - Power was more problematic and caused the electricians many headaches, still not fully resolved but, as the days lengthen and the sun returns, we do have enough solar power stored to run basic lights, sockets and chargers. - 'Shutterbridges', that are the movable, external walls that raise to secure the rear of the building around the large veranda and lower to allow access and provide additional outside flooring are still a work in progress, but one section was fully operational (though we are looking to replace the winches for ones that are better geared). - The internal floors were either oiled or varnished, though the in/outdoor floors in the porch and veranda will have to wait until spring and, hopefully, drier weather before they can be scrubbed, dried off and finally sealed. - The wood burner was installed and, now that fire-lighting issues have been resolved, heats the kitchen and restroom beautifully - The kitchen won't be fully finished for while - well, until we have raised more funds again to be precise - but there were worktops, makeshift cupboards and drawers and taps that worked, the latter alone being enough to transform tea making as it means no longer having to bring in containers of water from off-site. And, in the first month of 2024: - The guttering has been connected to the underground pipework that we dug in two years ago, so that rainwater from the roof now feeds the nearby wildlife pond. - The porch has COAT HOOKS (a first in the more-than ten years since the group has been in existence), muddy boot storage and a log store (which even has logs in it!). - Storage areas upstairs are also almost complete. - Resources and equipment have been moved from their decade of 'temporary' residence in volunteers' home offices and garden sheds and, thanks to a generous donation of storage boxes from local DIY store Wickes, are neatly stored away. Our lives really are being transformed! CELEBRATING BEING 'NEARLY' FINISHED On Friday 8th and Saturday 9th December to celebrate the hard work of the last three years, funders, supporters and volunteers were invited to an inaugural pre-Christmas event in the nearly-finished Cabin. The long days and late nights of the six weeks leading up to the event, that had resulted in the work progress outlined above, was admired by all who came, including the amazing timber framers from the Carpenters Fellowship who started us off on this journey exactly 3 years ago in 2023 when we met in nearby Harewood Forest to mark up the newly-felled logs that were to become the magnificent framework of the building. (If you take a look back to the first reports, you will see the start of this incredible journey.) CABIN WINS AWARD! On December 12th 2023, a group of volunteers including charity Trustees Liz, Tim, Sue and Wendy, Test Way walkers Andrew and Shane and of course carpenter/ builder Ben attended the Hampshire CPRE Awards in Kings Somborne where we received our certificate and saw for the first time the video that had been made by CPRE about the Cabin build. You can link to it below: ATU Receives CPRE Hampshire Sustainable Communities Award. We hope you enjoy it. WHAT'S NEXT and THANK YOU! As ever, this comes with our heartfelt thanks for all your donations and your help - you really can now see what you have helped to create. And it's brilliant! So, what's next? Well, the kitchen of course and we need to double the size of the solar array and battery storage if we are to provide the basic power needed to keep the lights on. Landscaping is essential to join up the building to its beautiful surroundings, especially paths so that winter wet and mud is not constantly brought inside; the shutterbridges need finishing and we need to come up with a security solution that is more robust and attractive than the now wind-battered heras fencing. We might be 'in', but work continues And, as we edge ever closer to the project's conclusion, we hope that you will want to stay with us to the finish line and help us to cross it.

Links:

• Supporters are invited to celebrate the 'almost' finished Cabin
• ATU Receives CPRE Hampshire Sustainable Communities Award
• Children and families benefit from the newly available Cabin