Cameron's Cottage hosts first groups of young people

06 July 2021

What an altogether awesome week it has been! An incredibly momentous occasion to be hosting the first groups of young people at Cameron’s Cottage to experience just a few of the outdoor activities that will be on offer.

The RSPB hosted three separate small groups to test out some of the outdoor activities at Franchises Lodge nature reserve. The first group, Employ My Ability, is a charity that helps students with learning disabilities develop vital skills. They learnt about habitat management and helped clear the invasive non-native rhododendrons.

The second group Black To Nature led by Birdgirl took part in a bio blitz activity organized by Russell Wynn and Marcus Ward from Wild New Forest with each group identifying over 110 different species in just 1 hour!

And the third group of University students and volunteers carried out deer population and impact surveys in the New Forest.

These are just some of the endless possibilities around Cameron’s Cottage. For now, groups could not stay due to COVID restrictions and the Cottage is not 100% ready but it was very special indeed to be part of the day.

The event was expertly organised by Anneka at RSPB England. We are so grateful to our amazing supporters for making this possible. Thank you.

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Swift bricks installed

30 April 2021

What a glorious day to be in the New Forest.  Cameron’s Cottage was basking in sunshine, amongst a hive of activity.  It was wonderful to see such amazing progress and see so many people working on site.

The Outreach Centre, with a spectacular 360 degree view of woodlands, creates a feeling of open space and being totally immersed in nature.  All the solar panels have now been fitted on the roof of the Outreach Centre as well as the Cottage and electricity is now being entirely provided by renewables. 

One highlight was seeing the Swift bricks being installed.  A total of 6 Swift homes will be added to Cameron’s Cottage and we are hoping for Swifts as well as a variety of other birds to make their nests in them.

Inside, work has progressed and all the glass panels have been installed, stairs are in and bedrooms have been painted. 

We are so grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for their wonderful grant of £40,000 that we were awarded last week.  This grant will enable us to kit out the Cottage and install all the necessary fixture and fittings. A huge thank you to all the Trustees at the Garfield Weston Foundation for their tremendous support and generosity. 

Due to open in the autumn, our young visitors will be able to enjoy a wealth of nature-based activities, whilst living off-the-grid for days at a time.  Cameron’s Cottage is a unique nature outreach centre located in the idyllic RSPB Franchises Lodge woodland reserve.

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A total of six swift bricks were installed

Front of the cottage

Spectacular 360 degree view from Outreach Centre

The stairs are in

Solar panels fitted to the Outreach building

Swift bricks being installed

The cottage and the Outreach Centre

Work continues on the wooden extension

Project on track for a summer opening

30 March 2021

It was wonderful to see such progress at Cameron’s Cottage last week. Now more than ever, this residential nature outreach centre will be a place where young people can connect with nature, understand wildlife, boost their wellbeing, learn new skills and socialise in an outdoor environment.  Cameron’s Cottage, in the heart of the RSPB nature reserve, is surrounded by pristine ancient woodland and open heathland where young people can experience this unique natural heritage and immerse themselves in outdoor learning experiences.  

Inside the Cottage, the stairs have been fitted and all three bedrooms on the top floor are looking good and all the original windows have been refurbished and refitted. Below, all the other rooms are taking shape and the Cottage has been insulated throughout. The new extension has been clad and will be used for the showers plus a large dorm room which will sleep up to 8. This area is spacious and has been insulated and installation of ducting for the ventilation systems are being installed in the walls and ceilings.

This new extension is beautifully clad with wood all from the reserve which compliments the old brick building. Next to it is the Nature Outreach Centre which is nearing completion and all the solar panels have been fixed on the roof.  Inside the Nature Outreach Centre is a small Field Study Centre which will be used for research projects by University Students and other young RSPB volunteers.

All renewable equipment has been installed inside a security caged outhouse and has been tested and is working which is fantastic. See the flow chart below to show how energy will be created to heat Cameron’s Cottage as well as supply hot water.  All this has been expertly done by SA Energy Ltd. 

We are hoping that the weather continues to improve so that building work can carry on without any hitches. So far our builders, AV Development, have done a remarkable job continuing all the work. Our aim is to complete the project by this summer.

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The Nature Outreach Centre

View from the back of cottage

Solar panels on Nature Outreach building

Portico at the rear of the cottage

Front of cottage with the wooden extension left

Cottage nestled in the woods