Minstead Study Centre Community Events Programme

[Richard]

Minstead Study Centre has recently been awarded a grant from the New Forest National Park's Sustainable Development Fund to run a series of community events. The aim is to work in concert with New Forest Transition and the Food Challenge to provide a range of activities that generally supports sustainability.

I have been appointed as the Community Events Officer and am now setting up events. You can see the 'story so far' at the new web site. I'd be very interested to hear ideas of topics and subjects that you would like to see covered. If you have any ideas just add a comment here or send me a message via the Food site system.

Many thanks

Richard

[Stephen Tarling]

Hi Alleyn,

As a newcomer to the New Forest myself - and just to the south of the forest at that - and with no appreciation of the Minstead area; I do sympathise. And as a townie all trees in the forest look the same to me :-)

However by briefly searching the internet I've found some good directions, see particularly:
http://www.minstead.hampshire.org.uk/minstead/map.htm
which as well as a map says:
OS Grid Reference SU 278 108
For SatNav users our post code is SO43 7GJ

and also has the following directions:

* Travelling in a Westerly direction take the Minstead turning off the A31 on the brow of the hill.
* Passing the village hall on your right, take the second turning on the right signposted Study Centre.
* Follow the road down to the ford and turn right.
* Cars should park on the school yard.

and also links to a more detailed map at
http://www.minstead.hampshire.org.uk/minstead/Largemap.htm


On Google maps at http://maps.google.co.uk/ putting in the postcode reveals a marker at "Minstead Studies Centre"

Streetmap at http://www.streetmap.co.uk/ at the same postcode on an O.S based map shows a place called "Study Centre" at the same location in the 1:25000 scale.

And although it seems slow I'd also recommend New Forest Maps Online at http://maps.newforestnpa.gov.uk/ Go the the 'Address Search' tab and type in the postcode and one of the few entries says "Minstead Rural Studies Centre" - click on that and you can zoom in and out - although that site is very slow.

And the site http://www.britevents.com/whats-on/hampshire/minstead/new-forest-fe... has a map.

I hope something there might help others - especially those going there for the first time. From what I read, part of the attraction is that it is deep in the New Forest!

[Richard]

Minstead is a tricky place to navigate! Thanks Alleyn...good thoghts.....assuming you can find the Centre what would you like to see? R

[Alleyn Wilson]

I HAVE BEEN TO AN EVENT THERE AND FOUND IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND AND LOCALS WERE UNABLE TO DIRECT AS WELL AS THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE CENTRE - SO FIRST OFF, SOME REALLY GOOD ROAD NOTICES AND DIRECTIONS PLEASE

[SarahF]

Hi Richard,
Off the top of my head, some reskilling type events/workshops?
From the food point of view, composting, growing your own, harvesting, storing, pickling, seed collecting, soil improving, companion planting etc.. perhaps even bee keeping, chicken keeping and some basic permaculture concepts/designs?