Our Roots
Outdoor Learning Resources (OLR) started life as the shop page on Cambium Sustainable’s website around 2006. Initially, we only supplied tools and that came about as a direct result of Forest School trainees that the Cambium team was working with asking where to get the same quality tools and equipment that we were using on the training – eventually, we started supplying these via the Cambium Shop. Over the years the range we offered grew but the emphasis has always been on high-quality tools that have been tried and tested in Forest School training and also in the green woodworking that Anney loves to do!
In 2015 this grew into its own discreet ‘sister’ business to Cambium under the name of Outdoor Learning Resources…. a bit wordy, but it does what it says on the tin!! At this time OLR started to stock outdoor equipment as well as high-quality tools. This coincided with Cambium moving from focussing on Forest School Training to delivering a suite of Accredited Training that included Forest School and more curriculum based Outdoor Learning.
Since the summer of 2018 OLR has moved forward again, we are now completely separate from Cambium but still work closely with them, we have also been busy developing sustainable wooden products for learning and play.
And now…?
We are very much a family business – Anney is the Director, (chief cook and bottle washer!) , Hannah Wood co-manages our dispatch and stock management, Amy and her husband Al (other daughter and son in law) help with marketing and accounts.
We sustainably manage our Monmouthshire woodland that was planted up from 2005 onwards to source the pine, hazel, ash and birch wood for the wooden resources that we stock.
We are determined to be ethical and sustainable in our choices of stock and we find out as much as we can about where and how products are made. We choose to buy from UK and European manufacturers if we can to try to reduce the carbon footprint of our products. We use recycled boxes and packaging where possible and we try to make our voice heard in terms of their use of single use plastics and other unnecessary packaging.
You can keep up to date with our latest products and news through our Facebook and Twitter pages.
We love to hear from our customers so please do contact us with any questions, comments, reviews or queries, as well as any suggestions of things you would like to see stocked.