More than 100 Gateshead school children visited the magical kingdom of Lilidorei at The Alnwick Garden, thanks to a £1,550 grant from local law firm Muckle LLP.
Lilidorei provided free entry to 107 pupils from Kelvin Grove Primary School, Gateshead, with a grant from The Muckle Fund at the Community Foundation, paying for travel costs and packed lunches.
The attraction at The Alnwick Garden, which is the biggest play structure in the world, is a £15.5 million project developed by the Duchess of Northumberland designed to provide children an escape from modern technology and encourage imaginative play.
The children were able to create their own narratives around their visits to the village and clan houses, take part in the Quest Challenge, and join in story sessions with Lilidorei’s own Story Keepers.
Mrs Stokes, Year 4 teacher and trip leader from Kelvin Grove, said: “Thanks to Muckle and The Alnwick Garden, we were able to provide a new and exciting opportunity for our children.
“The current climate is making it harder and harder to provide enriching and exciting learning opportunities in schools, and being awarded this grant has meant we were able to take 107 pupils to visit the magical world of Lilidorei and the beautiful Alnwick Garden.
“This is a unique experience for the children. It means a lot to our staff to be able to provide this experience for our children, as many come from vulnerable backgrounds where travel is very limited.
“We were all so excited to go, and it was such a memorable day for all involved. We can’t thank everyone enough!”
Muckle gives 1% of its profits annually to its Muckle Fund at the Community Foundation to fund grants to charities that support young people, help overcome disadvantages, improve social mobility, and help causes that are important to its people. Steve Cunningham, a graphic designer at the firm whose wife works at Kelvin Grove Primary School, applied for the grant and also helped organise the visit.
Hugh Welch, Senior Partner at Muckle LLP and ESG lead, said: “It is important for us to support charities close to the hearts of our people and in the communities in which we live and work.
“Lilidorei is fantastic as an educational experience, and we’re delighted to support Kelvin Grove Primary School with travel.”
Mark Brassell, CEO of Lilidorei, at The Alnwick Garden said: “We believe it’s important to offer a true educational experience, featuring teacher-led educational resources in line with the national curriculum.
“We’re proud to provide learning outside the classroom for schools across Northumberland, and we were happy to work with Muckle to extend this experience to more than 100 pupils from Kelvin Grove Primary School.”
The Muckle Fund at The Community Foundation has been active for over 22 years, donating almost £700,000 to local charities. Muckle recently became the first law firm in the North East and Cumbria to receive B Corp Certification™, an accreditation given to organisations that meet high social and environmental performance standards, transparency, and accountability balanced with profitability.