A LEADING Fairford-based educational charity has welcomed the latest recruit to its education team, in a new collaboration which extends its expertise to the iconic Chatsworth Estate.

Former primary school teacher Nicola Spence joined The Ernest Cook Trust (ECT) in February.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

Rachel Parkin and Nicola Spence

However, unlike the trust’s other education staff who run sessions for schoolchildren on its country estates, Nicola will be based at Chatsworth, in the Peak District.

ECT, which actively encourages children and young people to learn from the land through free-of-charge education programmes on its estates and by giving grants, owns and manages 22,000 acres across five English counties.

Last year nearly 32,000 children visited the trust’s estates, and each year its trustees distribute £1.8m to a range of education initiatives throughout the UK.

Chatsworth House is home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

Along with its gardens and estate, the stately home attracts around 600,000 visitors each year with about 20,000 education visits.

Nicola Spence’s role as the attraction’s outdoor education officer came about through a partnership between ECT and Chatsworth’s Devonshire Educational Trust (DET).

The collaboration began in 2015 when ECT hosted a fact-finding visit by Lord Burlington, a trustee of the DET.

“They were so impressed with our model of outdoor learning that they now want to learn from our experiences on the Chatsworth Estate,” said Anne Newman, ECT’s head of education.

At present, outdoor learning makes up a small percentage of visits to Chatsworth, but the new partnership aims to grow these numbers.

Nicola, 29, from Sheffield, said: “There’s already a range of outdoor learning activities happening at Chatsworth. But the way ECT works, taking any subject out of the classroom and teaching it outdoors, this is the next stage for us.

“It’s truly inspirational.”

And what’s it like being a teacher whose ‘classroom’ is in the grounds of Chatsworth House? “I feel so fortunate,” she said. “I have this big grin on my face when I come into work.”