A specialist learning hub based at Sandhill Lake in Worksop is going from strength to strength thanks to a growing partnership between staff and Bassetlaw District Council.
Around 18 months ago, the lake was the focus of an intense clean-up that has helped to regenerate one of the town’s natural beauty spots, and in turn provide a safer, calmer and more engaging environment for its students.
It also achieved its objective of reducing anti-social behaviour that had increased in the area, deter drug dealing and usage, and combat fly-tipping.
The seven-hectare public lake and park is located west of the town centre and is also home to Sandhills learning hub, part of R.E.A.L. Alternative Provision. This provides specialist curriculum-based education for vulnerable young people who have previously struggled within a mainstream setting.
In March 2025, working in partnership with the hub’s Learning Manager Claire Colley, the council used funding from the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s Safer Streets initiative to carry out significant environmental improvements.
Hub Manager Tessa Holland said she and her team were delighted to have played a part in helping the local community reclaim their lake.
She said: “Our learners are quite vulnerable and it’s not helpful to be surrounded by some of the behaviour that was taking place around our hub. It was important for us to be able to steer our learners away from that so they could make better decisions.”
Improvements included removing three redundant shipping containers, cutting back several trees to enable clearer sightlines for CCTV cameras, clearing large areas of undergrowth, making pathways easier to navigate and access, and clearing around eight-tonnes of fly-tipped waste.
Cllr Darrell Pulk, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods at Bassetlaw District Council, said: “After some elements of anti-social behaviour were driven out of the nearby Sandy Lane estate, we became aware that Sandhill Lake was beginning to suffer. Thanks to this partnership with R.E.A.L. and Nottinghamshire Police, we have been able to make a significantly positive impact for the students based here and the wider park so that everyone can benefit from the improvements that have been made.
“We were also able to draw up a management plan for the site, which allowed us to make our first submission for a Green Flag Award. Unfortunately, we weren’t successful on this occasion, but the improvements we’ve made for the young people who use this park is equally rewarding for us.”
The partnership has also brought about a stronger relationship between the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Team and the hub. Now, if staff at the hub witness any anti-social behaviour, they immediately alert the council and police who can both access live CCTV footage to determine what action to take.
Cllr Pulk added: “We’re grateful to the staff at R.E.A.L.’s Sandhill hub for being our eyes and ears at the site. Bassetlaw’s parks staff did an excellent job whilst our ASB Team has also been actively engaging with students at the hub. As a result we’ve seen a dip in reports of anti-social behaviour and brought about a positive change in the community.”
Sandhills Learning Manager Faye Serjeant said she feels they’ve finally created a safe haven for their young learners. She said: “Our young learners are so much more settled and therefore they can engage in the sessions and achieve more.”
Last Updated on Wednesday, August 12, 2026