1Okay. What would you like to know?
2Well, I'm new to this area,
3so perhaps you could tell me something about the park first, please.
4Of course.
5Altogether the park covers 170 acres,
6that's 69 hectares.
7There are three main types of habitat:
8wetland, grassland and woodland.
9The woods are well established and varied,
10with an oak plantation, and other areas of mixed species.
11Right.
12The wetland is quite varied, too.
13The original farmland was dug up around 40 years ago to extract gravel.
14Once this work was completed,
15the gravel pits filled with water, forming the two large lakes.
16There are also several smaller ones, ponds and a stream that flows through the park.
17Okay, so I suppose with these different habitats there's quite a variety of wildlife.
18There certainly is.
19A lot of different species of birds and insects,
20and also animals like deer and rabbits.
21And I understand you organise educational visits for school parties.
22That's right.
23We can organise a wide range of activities and adapt them to suit all ages.
24Can you give me some examples of the activities?
25Well, one focus is on science,
26where we help children to discover and study plants, trees and insects.
27They also collect and analyse data about the things they see.
28Another focus is on geography.
29The park is a great environment to learn and practise reading a map
30and using a compass to navigate around the park.
31Do you do anything connected with history?
32Yes, we do.
33For instance, the children can explore how the use of the land has changed over time.
34Then there's leisure and tourism.
35That focuses on your visitors, I would imagine.
36Yes, mostly.
37The children find out about them,
38their requirements, the problems they may cause and how we manage these.
39And another subject we cover is music:
40here the children experiment with natural materials to create sounds
41and explore rhythm and tempo.
42That must be fun!
43Most children really enjoy it.
44And of course, all the activities are educational, too.
45Learning outside the classroom encourages children to be creative,
46and to explore and discover for themselves.
47I would imagine they get a sense of freedom that might not be a normal part of their lives.
48That's right.
49And very often the children discover that they can do things they didn't know they could do,
50and they develop new skills.
51This gives them greater self-confidence.
52It sounds great.
53So, what about the practical side of it?
54How much does it cost for a full-day visit?
55We would expect to bring between 30 and 40 children.
56If there are over 30,
57it costs £4.95 for each child who attends on the day.
58We invoice you afterwards,
59so you don't pay for children who can't come because of sickness, for example.
60There's no charge for leaders and other adults - as many as you want to bring.
61That sounds very fair.
62Well, thanks for all the information.
63I'll need to discuss it with my colleagues,
64and I hope to get back to you soon to make a booking.
65We'll look forward to hearing from you.
66Goodbye.
67Goodbye, and thank you.