New Year Musings

It’s time for our annual New Year blog post – a time to think about the year ahead, to identify what we are aspiring to, muse on what we are looking forward to and lay out what our plans are. And this year, I’ve decided to start as we mean to go on by collaborating with the Directors at TOG to see what they are hoping for the company in 2022.

I took a look back at last year’s blog post, penned almost a year to the day, to remember sadly the third lockdown announcement and the accompanying sadness and disappointment that permeated our little community. This year however, things are looking a lot more hopeful and after talking to many of my colleagues this week, it feels like this positivity is infectious! Lots of people are making exciting plans, both personal and professional, for the year ahead and setting intentions as to what they’d like to see and do over the next twelve months. We are by no means out of the woods in regards to covid yet, but it feels like the light at the end of the tunnel might finally be in sight.

But that’s enough musings from me, now I’ll hand the reins over to one of our two illustrious Directors, Shev Pring.

Thoughts On The Year Ahead

As I sit with my coffee this morning contemplating the year ahead there are so many exciting things to look forward to. I am really excited about some of the projects that we have going on, the re-opening of the kindergarten, the first cohorts of learners at Bridge House Farm (our South Brent site for The Outdoors School) and the opening of our Escot site to give Exeter Forest School its new home. 

Although we have these exciting projects going on I am equally excited by other things happening within the company, the long anticipated Key Stage 4 start which will happen in September of this year, the growth of the adult training team and the start of some really exciting staff training and development for our team. And whilst we’re only in January, I’m already looking ahead eagerly to the year in photos, videos, social media and blogs that I know will show the amazing things that our learners and course participants get up to.

However, the thing that excites me most about the year ahead is the time I get to spend with the staff team, helping and supporting their growth and development, providing advice and guidance, seeing the talents and passions bear fruit and being a part of some of the amazing projects that will be going on across the year. I am endlessly inspired by what our team brings to the job and the positive impact it has on those around them. I genuinely cannot wait to see what our amazing team comes up with over the next 12 months and more than anything, I am looking forward to being a part of the journey with them all.

So from all of us here at The Outdoors Group, we hope that you have a prosperous and peaceful year in 2022 and we hope that you will continue to join us on our adventures once again as we make our next journey around the sun.

Author: Collaboration between Shevek Pring (Director) and Hannah Durdin (Content Officer & Forest School Leader

Date: Friday 7th January