Friend of BFSN, Colin Whitfield retires from Bradford Council

19th October 2017

If you have ever sought permission to run a forest school in Bradford Council woodlands, it’s likely that you spoke to Colin in Woodlands Management – and likely that you got that permission and for free!  Colin Whitfield and his colleague Bob Thorp have supported forest schools in Bradford since the idea came to our district about 10 years ago.  Members of Bradford Forest School Network have greatly benefited from the strong relationship between forest schools and Woodlands Management and their positive attitude towards allowing us to use the woods, including have campfires, providing we do so responsibly. (Try doing that in some local authorities and you’ll know how lucky we are in Bradford!) In return members have tried to support Woodlands Management by reporting dangerous trees or fly tipping and helping with woodland conservation and restoration. 

After many years at the council, Colin is retiring this week so members of the Network got together to present him with a card and present, thanking him for all his support over the years and to wish him a long and happy retirement.  After helping to enable so many children to enjoy forest schools, we hope he gets to enjoy spending leisure time in the woods with his own grandchildren. 

Colin’s successor will start in November but in the meantime, if you wish to use a Bradford Council woodland submit requests to Bradford Council via the PSLG form and forward the form to Carol Stables (carol.stables@bradford.gov.uk) in the Woodlands team, so they can keep track of who is using the woodlands