A new Education Ranger is ready to help children and young people discover and enjoy the extraordinary landscape of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Former teacher Tom Bean has swapped the classroom for the coastline in his new role in the National Park Authority’s Discovery Team.

From taking GCSE geography students on field trips studying river flow, to showing primary school pupils the many creatures that live in coastal habitats, Tom’s work will see him bringing all the National Park has to offer to children of all ages.

He will also work with colleagues at the Park Authority’s visitor attractions, Carew Castle and Tidal Mill, Castell Henllys Iron Age Village and Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre to develop and deliver their successful education programmes.

Tom, a self-confessed ‘foodie’, studied the slow food initiative at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. He is looking forward to bringing a wild food theme into some of his work with the National Park Authority.

He said:

“Everybody in the Discovery Team has a particular environmental interest, whether they are into marine ecology, pond dipping, rocks or woodland. I’m a foodie so I am particularly interested in the way we ‘eat’ the environment.

“I’m out with a primary school this week, for instance, they are camping in the National Park before visiting Skomer Island. I’ll be part of their fantastic adventure because the staff wanted some outdoor activities to help the children make sense of where they are and what they are seeing. So we will explore the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, the beach and the island horizon, and on the way maybe forage for some wild food to spice up the barbecue.

“It’s about matching up what we have here in the National Park with what students are studying and teachers need to deliver.”

To find out more about the educational opportunities on offer from National Park Authority’s Discovery Team call 01646 624853.