Laura Vayro turns dream into reality

Laura Vayro, turned her dreams into reality, and launched Oakapple Environmental

Laura Vayro has turned her dream into reality with the launch of her new social enterprise business, Oakapple Environmental.

Oakapple Environmental, provides outdoor learning sessions for local children and community groups.

The programmes are designed to help people connect, respect and interact with the outdoors through a variety of fun activities including ‘forest school’ lessons.

In addition, as well as the woodland skills that are developed, the courses also help build confidence, motivation, social skills and positive attitudes to learning.

Laura took voluntary redundancy in April and asked for support with an idea she had, and Training @ Hopwood were quick to help. As a result Laura was supported and funded through her Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) qualification, which provides an introduction to teaching and training adults.

Laura comments: “Being funded to complete the teaching course has given me the ability to be able to really develop my teaching skills and that’s obviously important to my business. I already had the experience of working with groups and teaching forest school programmes, but what the course offered me was help in structuring my sessions. It also gave me a bit more confidence when working with larger groups of people.

"Most importantly, through the support given to me, I’ve been able to turn a lifelong dream into a reality and I’m really enjoying the whole experience.”

Karen Humphreys, Contract Manager at Training @ Hopwood, added: “We are delighted that Laura has been able to turn what could have been a negative experience into such a positive one.

"When people are at risk of redundancy, or have been made redundant it’s really important that they know there is help available.

"Laura’s case is an excellent example of how redundancy could be the start of something exciting and we at Training @ Hopwood, in association with In Training are here to help people meet their new career goals.

"We wish Laura and Oakapple Environmental all the success in the world.”