RICHMOND MP Rishi Sunak has officially opened a new forest school which is helping to teach children at a farm-based North Yorkshire nursery about the great outdoors.

The forest school at High Bank Day Nursery at Stapleton provides children with hands-on learning experiences in a natural environment surrounded by trees and green space. The children do everything from building dens and shelters, through to studying insects and wildlife.

Owner Lesley Thompson said: “The children are really enjoying the hands-on learning experiences the school gives them and it is clear it has having a very positive impact.”

Mr Sunak was also given a tour of the mini-farm that the children can access every day, including helping to feed the calves and collecting eggs.

He said: “This is a great example of a nursery broadening the experience of young children in providing a fun and educational environment.

“Together with the mini-farm, High Bank is giving its pupils from local villages and towns a first-rate introduction to the countryside.”