Woodland Adventure Zone at Mansfield's Portland College gets funding boost

The Woodland Adventure Zone on the college’s main campus on Nottingham Road, Mansfield, is a fully accessible forest adventure allowing access for wheelchair users and people with disabilities, providing an exciting experience for everyone.

Currently, you can find a 90 metre zipline, a seven metre high climbing tower, woodland walks and bushcraft area; all of which have been utilised by hundreds of schools, corporate groups, families and Portland’s learners and citizens seven days a week over the last two and a half years.

The Woodland Adventure Zone is now looking to expand their services and offer new and exciting opportunities to the community.

Phase two will introduce a whole new range of activities that are tailored towards people’s own mental health and well-being.

Members of Mansfield Building Society staff were invited to Portland recently to see how the facility is being used following a donation at the initial development stage of Woodland Adventure Zone and the charity is funding one of the new projects in stage two, a new hand bike trail.

Hand bikes allow disabled people who struggle with their mobility to participate in activities many of us can take for granted. There is currently a lack of hand bike trails within Nottinghamshire and the Woodland Adventure Zone is the perfect place for a brand new one.

Vickie Preston, head of HR at Mansfield Building Society, said: “Portland College are doing terrific work developing their Woodland Adventure Zone to create a fully inclusive forest adventure that is a real asset to the area.

“We’re thrilled that this latest donation from the Charitable Trust will help the college deliver a hand bike trail so that people with mobility restrictions can still enjoy the superb surroundings and improve their health and wellbeing.”

Dr Mark Dale, Portland Charity Principal and CEO, said: “After the amazing success we have had from the first phase of the Woodland Adventure Zone, we are now looking forward to starting on phase two.

"This generous donation from Mansfield Building Society will allow us to redevelop our current gravity trail into an inclusive hand bike trail, providing all disabled people more opportunities for exciting adventures in our beautiful forest.”