Broadening Horizons

The Broadening Horizons project was a joint venture between Furness College and Rusland Horizons Trust which aimed to offer students from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to expand their horizons, see different perspectives and interact with the natural world.

Woodmatters has been involved in delivering the woods based bushcraft, creative and greenwood carving elements of the project alongside other local crafts people, woodland workers and people who's work is within the natural world.

Piloted by Rusland Horizons Trust and Furness College, the project engaged with young people who may not have had the chance to experience a rural area or rural work. A key aim of the project was to enable them to experience and learn about the countryside landscape and the opportunity to see the potential career opportunities it may offer that they may not have previously considered.

Group of people, including children and adults, gathered around a plant in a green, wooded outdoor area, participating in a nature educational activity.
A person in outdoor clothing and a knit hat with a pom-pom is using a saw to cut a fallen tree trunk in a forest with green moss and trees.
Four young men outdoors in a wooded area carrying sticks, one is smiling and wearing a beanie, others are holding large bundles of sticks on their shoulders.
Group of five people and a dog in a dense forest with green trees and ferns. One person is digging a hole near a rusty, overturned barrel while others watch or stand nearby. The dog is standing close to the group.
Two young men are outdoors in a wooded area, one kneeling near a fire pit with ashes, the other standing nearby, both wearing safety glasses and casual outdoor clothing.
A person chopping a large tree stump with an axe in an outdoor setting, wearing camouflage pants and protective eyewear.
Six handcrafted knives with leather and wooden handles, each labeled with a different name. The knives have various blade shapes and lengths.
Two rustic knives with wooden handles resting on a large, moss-covered, weathered log in a forest setting.
A young man with tattoos, blonde and black hair, dressed in a sleeveless band t-shirt and ripped shorts, working on a woodworking project outdoors in a wooded area. He is sitting on a wooden workbench, holding a tool, with a water bottle placed on th