| Okay. What would you like to know? |
| Well, I'm new to this area, |
| so perhaps you could tell me something about the park first, please. |
| Of course. |
| Altogether the park covers 170 acres, |
| that's 69 hectares. |
| There are three main types of habitat: |
| wetland, grassland and woodland. |
| The woods are well established and varied, |
| with an oak plantation, and other areas of mixed species. |
| Right. |
| The wetland is quite varied, too. |
| The original farmland was dug up around 40 years ago to extract gravel. |
| Once this work was completed, |
| the gravel pits filled with water, forming the two large lakes. |
| There are also several smaller ones, ponds and a stream that flows through the park. |
| Okay, so I suppose with these different habitats there's quite a variety of wildlife. |
| There certainly is. |
| A lot of different species of birds and insects, |
| and also animals like deer and rabbits. |
| And I understand you organise educational visits for school parties. |
| That's right. |
| We can organise a wide range of activities and adapt them to suit all ages. |
| Can you give me some examples of the activities? |
| Well, one focus is on science, |
| where we help children to discover and study plants, trees and insects. |
| They also collect and analyse data about the things they see. |
| Another focus is on geography. |
| The park is a great environment to learn and practise reading a map |
| and using a compass to navigate around the park. |
| Do you do anything connected with history? |
| Yes, we do. |
| For instance, the children can explore how the use of the land has changed over time. |
| Then there's leisure and tourism. |
| That focuses on your visitors, I would imagine. |
| Yes, mostly. |
| The children find out about them, |
| their requirements, the problems they may cause and how we manage these. |
| And another subject we cover is music: |
| here the children experiment with natural materials to create sounds |
| and explore rhythm and tempo. |
| That must be fun! |
| Most children really enjoy it. |
| And of course, all the activities are educational, too. |
| Learning outside the classroom encourages children to be creative, |
| and to explore and discover for themselves. |
| I would imagine they get a sense of freedom that might not be a normal part of their lives. |
| That's right. |
| And very often the children discover that they can do things they didn't know they could do, |
| and they develop new skills. |
| This gives them greater self-confidence. |
| It sounds great. |
| So, what about the practical side of it? |
| How much does it cost for a full-day visit? |
| We would expect to bring between 30 and 40 children. |
| If there are over 30, |
| it costs £4.95 for each child who attends on the day. |
| We invoice you afterwards, |
| so you don't pay for children who can't come because of sickness, for example. |
| There's no charge for leaders and other adults - as many as you want to bring. |
| That sounds very fair. |
| Well, thanks for all the information. |
| I'll need to discuss it with my colleagues, |
| and I hope to get back to you soon to make a booking. |
| We'll look forward to hearing from you. |
| Goodbye. |
| Goodbye, and thank you. |