Countess of Wessex visits the New Forest to open Fort Climate Centre in Beaulieu

THE Countess of Wessex paid a visit to Beaulieu today (Thursday) to officially open a new centre created to teach people of all ages about the climate crisis.

The countess, who is married to Prince Edward, visited the new Fort Climate Centre at the Countryside Education Trust (CET) in Palace Lane.

The trust, which has been delivering environmental education programmes since 1975, was donated a building by the Fort Foundation.

The act reflects the long-held desire of founder Edward Fort OBE to bring education about climate change to the general public to encourage action.

Children from the CET’s after-school club showed the countess the animals they care for and talked about their prize-winning attendance at events, such as the New Forest Show.

The countess met some of the CET’s volunteers who were planting climate-resilient crops and she was introduced to the group's oldest and youngest volunteers – 90-year-old Marg Verdon and nine-year-old Noah Barnard.

She also met children from Beaulieu Primary School who demonstrated climate games.

CET chair Lord Montagu said: "We are enormously grateful for this gift from the Fort Foundation and for Mr Fort’s trust in our organisation to deliver such an exciting project.

"We were pioneers of environmental education when the Countryside Education Trust was founded in 1975, now we are pioneers of climate education.

"Understanding that caring for the environment is an integral part of finding solutions to climate change is vital work."

Trust chief executive Jane Cooper added: "We are looking forward to helping people of all ages to learn more about the challenges of climate change and empowering them to act.

"We believe that this building will provide an inclusive base for climate education in the New Forest and beyond."

The Fort Climate Centre has also benefited from a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the Green and Blue Horizons' from City to Forest scheme, led by the New Forest National Park Authority.

Patrick Heneghan, deputy NPA chair and chair of the Green and Blue Horizons board, said: "The national park is internationally important for nature and we’re already seeing some of the impacts of climate change here.

"It’s vital that we increase people’s understanding about these issues and how we can all make a difference.

"The Fort Climate Centre is playing an important in both raising awareness and directly engaging people, particularly those from the younger generation, as well as helping us develop solutions in the Forest."

The Fort Climate Centre will provide education to schools, be a focus for courses and events about climate change and the environment, and act as a hub for local green groups.

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