Minstead Study Centre
Minstead Study Centre offers visitors a chance to learn about the environment and the New Forest. It first opened in the 1960s on the site of an old Victoria era school. The tranquil retreat in the heart of the National Park has developed into a highly respected centre focussed on sustainability and environmental understanding. Groups of school children regularly take part in a wide array of outdoor learning activities in and around the seven acres of gardens and grounds.
Thanks to £6,000 from the New Forest National Park Authority’s Sustainable Communities Fund the centre has been able to create and maintain a large and productive vegetable and herb garden for teaching activities and growing food for the kitchen. An additional £2,000 funded a greenhouse large enough to welcome a class of schoolchildren keen to learn about their impact on the earth and how they can live more sustainably by growing seasonal organic food.
