VANDALS trashed a forest school in Stanton Fitzwarren.

Outdoor facilities which the school's young pupils had helped to build were wrecked and the school's owners found evidence of attempted arson at the site.

Kathryn and Mike Harrison, who run Green Trees Forest School, returned to the area in Stanton Country Park after a bank holiday break to prepare for their first half-term class when they discovered the carnage.

Kathryn said: “The treehouse was destroyed, there was toilet paper all over the site, and they killed two robins by trying to set fire to the five shelters where the birds nest.

“It’s absolutely disgusting and disappointing.

“The birds in that area are so used to us now and happy with us being there, so the fact that a couple of them felt comfortable enough to nest in our shelters was quite cool.

“Things can be rebuilt but the issue is that there were people out there who thought that it would be entertaining to do this, it’s awful.

"It was chaos, and the real shame is that I’m sure it will happen again.”

Mike set the forest school up in 2016 after being discharged from the army with PTSD.

As well as teaching little ones practical skills in the great outdoors, Mike does bush-craft and survival lessons with adults.

He said: “Going from the army to this has been a massive transition.

"I went through Help For Heroes and they have a volunteer program which encourages you to try new things.

"I got my teaching qualifications and started the school.

"I'm surprised how successful it's been, the kids love coming here.

"What happened to the site is a crying shame.

"Seeing the massive mess the vandals left all over the woods was a bit of a shock.

“They tore down the shelter when they burned it and only one chick survived.

“The treehouse had a lot of sentimental value because the kids put a lot of effort into making it.

“They did an amazing job rebuilding it.

“I’ve spoken to the park ranger and I have a rough idea of who did it.

"I’ll try to reach out to them in a positive manner and educate them because I think that’s the best way to deal with this.”

Kathryn added: “The toddlers love to see what they’ve built and we knew they were going to be a bit gutted when they saw that the place had been ruined, so we did as much as we could to tidy it up before they arrived.

“I guess in a way, it’s shown them how not to look after the environment."