Visiting the Surrey countryside This guide represents the fifth in a series of local guides designed to help parents, carers and teachers to engage children with autism and related disabilities with the natural environment. It should also prove useful to those living and working with adults with autism. The guide begins by considering why visiting the countryside and experiencing the natural world can be especially valuable for children with autism. This is followed by a guide to twenty-four ‘natural places’ in the Surrey countryside, which children with autism might enjoy visiting. The guide concludes with a series of case stories set in Surrey nature reserves, describing visits by children from local special schools. Supported by IS a guide for parents and teachers B N Published by 97 of children with autism 8 - 0 -9 5 7 15 David Blakesley and Tharada Blakesley 2 5 -8 -8 Visiting the Surrey countryside a guide for parents and teachers of children with autism David Blakesley and Tharada Blakesley Foreword by Virginia McKenna OBE i Citation For bibliographic purposes, this book should be referred to as Blakesley, D and Blakesley, T. 2015. Visiting the Surrey Countryside: a guide for parents and teachers of children with autism. Autism and Nature, Kent. The rights of David Blakesley and Tharada Blakesley to be identified as the Authors of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Copyright © rests with the authors Illustrations © Tharada Blakesley; photographs © David Blakesley, unless stated in the text All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior permission of the authors. First published 2015 British-Library-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Cover photograph: Surrey Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve at St Martha’s Hill. Designed by Pisces Publications Published by Autism and Nature Printed by Gomer Press Ltd ISBN 978-0-9571525-8-8 All reasonable efforts have been made by the authors to trace the copyright owners of the material quoted in this book and any images reproduced in this book. In the event that the authors or publishers are notified of any mistakes or omissions by copyright owners after publication of this book, the authors and the publishers will endeavour to rectify the position accordingly for any subsequent printing. David Blakesley (Autism and Nature) is a writer and naturalist. Tharada Blakesley (Autism and Nature) is a writer and illustrator. www.autismandnature.org.uk Disclaimer The information presented in this book on behalf of the authors is believed to be accurate and correct at the time of publication, but this cannot be guaranteed. We cannot be held responsible for any changes in access, or any damage which might result from visitors trespassing on private property. We recommend visitors to obtain maps of the areas, and to seek up to date information from the websites of the various landowners. Readers must take all appropriate steps to ensure health and safety of all users, and to follow their own health and safety policy. Neither the publisher nor the authors can be held responsible for any consequences arising from the use of the information contained herein, including accidents or damage as a result of its use or the implementation of any of the recommendations within this book. ii Contents Foreword ...............................................................................iv Acknowledgements ..................................................................v Preface .................................................................................vi Part 1 Introduction .................................................................1 Part 2 Natural places to visit in Surrey .......................................5 Chobham Common ................................................................6 Riverside Walk, Virginia Water ................................................8 Durfold Wood .......................................................................9 Sidney Wood and Fir Tree Copse ............................................10 Claremont Landscape Garden................................................12 RHS Garden Wisley ..............................................................14 Hatchlands Park .................................................................16 Bookham Commons .............................................................18 Banstead Woods .................................................................20 Harewoods.........................................................................22 Staffhurst, Great Earls and Little Earls Wood ..........................24 Nutfield Marshes and Mercers Country Park ............................26 Surrey Hills AONB ..................................................................27 Farnham Heath ...................................................................28 Devil’s Punch Bowl ..............................................................30 Thursley Common ...............................................................32 Winkworth Arboretum .........................................................34 Newlands Corner ................................................................36 St Martha’s Hill ..................................................................37 White Down and Blatchford Down .........................................38 Polesden Lacey ..................................................................40 Denbies Hillside .................................................................42 Box Hill .............................................................................44 Marden Park and Great Church Wood .....................................46 Reigate Hill and Gatton Park ................................................48 Part 3 Case Stories ..................................................................49 Further reading .....................................................................62 iii Foreword I have been very fortunate in my life to have travelled to many different countries, seen awe-inspiring views and experienced the cold of high mountain tops, the heat of Africa, the shapes and shadows and sounds of forests. But there is nowhere that fascinates me more, that always draws me back on an invisible thread, than my home in the Surrey Hills where I have lived for 58 years. I look far into the distance where the North Downs shape the skyline. I marvel at the complex shapes of the trees in winter, the soft colours as the leaves emerge in spring, the full-blown rich greens of summer and the mesmerising vibrant golds, reds and rusts of autumn. One of the greatest joys is to walk in those woods. All one’s senses are truly alive. So I can imagine nothing more wonderful than for young people and children to be given this kind of experience. So many of us live in a world surrounded by technology, a world of busy, noisy streets. This is what so many people are used to and, because of that, the thought of walking silently in a wood – the only sound being the song of birds or the trickle of a stream – might seem daunting to say the least. But once the first step has been taken, life will never be the same. Breathing the clean air, seeing the shoots of ferns in the spring, glimpsing a squirrel as it scampers across the path and rushes up a tree – or the rich colours of a pheasant’s feathers as he disappears into the undergrowth. And then, lying on some moss or leaves and looking up at the sky through the branches of the forest. These are experiences that money can’t buy. And I mustn’t forget the smells! Of damp earth, of bluebells, of ferns. Surrey is an extraordinary county. Not far from London or the sea, the variety of landscape is incredible, and those of us who live here or visit are determined that this little jewel of the natural world should never be destroyed. We all know that nature is a healer, that it is a great gift whatever age we are. So whether they are going to climb a high hill, study the plants, walk along a river, splash through streams or sit and look at the view, listening to nature’s voices, the young people who come here will be touched by nature’s kindly hand and, I’m sure, will long to return. Virginia McKenna OBE Born Free Foundation (http://www.bornfree.org.uk/) March 2015 iv Acknowledgements This guide has been generously funded by the Nineveh Charitable Trust, Woodland Trust and Woodlands.co.uk, and we are particularly grateful to Robert Lewis (Nineveh Charitable Trust), Shona Morton (Woodland Trust) and Margaret Hanton (Woodlands.co.uk) for their support of our work. We would also like to thank the National Autistic Society Surrey Branch and Surrey Wildlife Trust for their help with the distribution of this guide. We would especially like to thank Virginia McKenna OBE for writing such a thoughtful and inspiring Foreword. We would also like to thank Joanna Carter (Natural England), Susan Edwards and Neil Jameson (Surrey Wildlife Trust) for hosting the countryside visits featured in Part 3. We are indebted to the teachers and teaching assistants who took part in the countryside visits, and provided helpful comments and feedback. They include: Sue Thelton and her colleagues from Freemantles School; Charlotte Purkiss, Penny Phillips and their colleagues from The Abbey School; and Francesca Arocas and her colleagues from St Joseph’s Specialist School and College. We would especially like to thank the children who participated in the various trips and the parents/carers who allowed their children to be photographed for this guide. We must also thank Mary Draffin and Simon Payne for their contribution to the Introduction. We are grateful to Andrew Powling and Kate Hardwick for reviewing various sections of the text. We would also like to thank all the organisations who own and/or manage the natural places featured in this guide, for kindly providing comments on our descriptions of their sites. We would especially like to thank Tone Blakesley for his valuable quotes, after visiting many of the places featured in this guide. We are indebted to Peter and Barbara Creed (Pisces Publications) for the design of the guide and Laurie Strike (NatureBureau) for reading the proofs. Photographs were taken by David Blakesley except where stated; for additional photographs, we would like to thank David Kjaer and Tone Blakesley. Finally, we would like to acknowledge all the organisations who have supported Autism and Nature’s work since the organisation was launched, they include: Activities Unlimited, BTCV, Dedham Vale AONB & Stour Valley Project, East Sussex County Council, Eden Project, Ernest Cook Trust, Kent Autistic Trust, Kent Downs AONB, Kent Wildlife Trust, National Autistic Society, National Trust, Natural England, Nineveh Charitable Trust, RSPB, Sensory Trust, Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust, The Henry Smith Charity, West Sussex County Council, Woodland Trust and Woodlands.co.uk. v Preface Why read this book? This guide represents the fifth in a series of local guides published by Autism and Nature. It is designed to help parents, carers and teachers in Surrey to engage children with autism with the natural environment. It should also prove useful to carers of children with other disabilities and those living and working with adults with autism. Part 1 considers why visiting the countryside and experiencing the natural world can be especially valuable for children with autism. It also offers tips on how to prepare children for an outing to the countryside. Part 2 presents a guide to ‘natural places’ to visit in the Surrey countryside, which many children with autism might enjoy. The featured locations represent the diverse range of habitats found in Surrey, and include places owned or managed by the Forestry Commission, National Trust, Natural England, RSPB, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, Royal Horticultural Society, Runnymede Borough Council, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Woodland Trust and several private landowners. Part 3 presents a series of stories that describe visits to Surrey nature reserves by children with autism and related disabilities from local special schools. Here you can read about what the children saw, the activities they took part in and how they benefitted from the experience. Whilst the guide does not set out to provide solutions to the many difficulties associated with autism, it does seek to offer appropriate information to make visits to the natural places featured as relaxed and enjoyable as possible, so that the restorative benefits can be accessed by all. For some children, there may be a need to make trips more structured and meaningful; for example, looking out for things whilst walking may provide many opportunities to communicate and develop a shared interest for the natural environment. The description of each location should help parents, carers and teachers to judge its suitability for their children. Preparation for visits to a new place can be very important. Many children with autism appreciate being shown pictures of their destination, so we have included photographs and illustrations in the guide, that we hope children will find helpful and attractive. vi Part 1 Introduction It is widely acknowledged that time spent in the countryside, experiencing the natural world, can have considerable benefits for people’s physical and mental health and well-being, especially children. It is hard to imagine how anyone could fail to be moved, on hearing the song of a nightingale as they walk through an ancient Surrey wood carpeted in bluebells. For a family, that wood might also provide fallen logs for children to climb on, butterflies to chase in the summer and colourful leaves to collect in the autumn. In a recent report for the National Trust, Stephen Moss writes about how a ‘natural childhood’ can improve children’s health, develop their learning skills and strengthen communities (Moss, 2012). He also points out that there are longer term environmental benefits, as our children learn about the natural world and how it needs to be protected for future generations. Others have focused on the benefits of outdoor play (Travlou, 2006), explored the advantages of learning outdoors (Dillon et al., 2006) and studied how to measure and track a child’s connection with nature (Bragg et al., 2013). Much of the evidence discussed in these reports focuses on the benefits of engaging children in general with the natural world. However, children and young people with autism and other special educational needs can also benefit from engaging with the natural world. Indeed, the benefits for these children might be even greater. Whilst much has been written about the benefits, it is evident that many children have become disconnected with nature. Richard Louv (2005), in his seminal book Last Child in the Woods, described this as “nature-deficit disorder”. There is widespread concern that children will grow up not appreciating the importance of the natural environment. It has been suggested that their health, well-being and development may also suffer as a result. This is a particular concern for parents/carers and teachers of those children with autism and other special educational needs who have few opportunities to visit the countryside. 11 Benefits for children with autism In a study with King’s College, London, Autism and Nature interviewed special school leaders and teachers about their views on engaging children with autism with the natural environment (Blakesley et al., 2013). Whilst there were clear differences between schools in the degree of engagement, all schools were practicing some kind of outdoor learning and all schools were keen to do more. Interviewees identified benefits to social skills and personal well-being as being particularly compelling reasons for engaging autistic children with the natural world. Another important benefit was to support learning, bringing many aspects of the school curriculum to life. Andrea Faber Taylor’s work with children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in North America is widely quoted in studies on the advantages of engaging children with special educational needs with the natural world (e.g. Faber Taylor and Kuo, 2009). ADHD is a condition which makes people inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive. According to the National Autistic Society, an increasing number of children are being diagnosed with both ADHD and autism. Faber Taylor presents a convincing case for ensuring that children with ADHD have regular engagement with nature, reporting many benefits even after relatively short periods in the natural environment. Horticultural therapy and gardening represents another example of how children with special educational needs can be helped to make a connection with nature. The Royal Horticultural Society Special Educational Needs schools project (Young, 2010) worked with classes with a wide range of conditions, including autism. Through learning gardening skills the children were able to connect with the natural world and benefited in many ways. Many of the reasons for engaging children with autism and related disabilities with the natural environment are illustrated in the case stories presented in Part 3 of this guide. Autism and Nature has hosted similar visits in other counties and you can read about these in our guides to East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent and Suffolk, available on the Autism and Nature website. Although our stories describe school visits, children with autism should also enjoy engaging with the natural environment with family and friends. © To n e B lakesley Shoveler 22