Trust Links Forest School Club HAF 2026

St Laurence Orchard is a 100 year old, one acre off-grid community orchard with an adjoining half acre meadow that Trust Links has managed for the past 20 years on behalf of Southend City Council. The site includes a small indoor space , tool storage, and composting toilet, and has good transport links via the Number 9 bus.

The orchard provides a flexible, nature-rich environment, offering quiet areas, shaded zones and small group spaces that support children with additional needs, anxiety or sensory sensitivities. Activities can be adapted for different abilities and comfort levels.

Our HAF Programme will be in line with Forest School practices and principles, child-led and led by trained Forest School Practitioners.

Some activities may include but are not limited to:

Physical Activities:
- Woodland games (tag variations, hide and seek games)
- Nature trails, scavenger hunts, exploration challenges and orienteering
- Shelter building and team challenges
- Balance logs, and natural obstacle courses
- Nature walks and sensory exploration
- Gardening, digging, and practical orchard maintenance tasks

Fun and Creative Activities:
- Nature crafts: leaf printing, clay creatures, weaving, stick frames.
- Tool use (age appropriate): whittling, palm drills, mallet use, simple woodcraft.
- Fire based activities: safe fire lighting, cooking, storytelling around the fire.
- Environmental art projects using orchard materials.
- Bushcraft skills: knots, shelter building, tracking, identifying plants and wildlife.
- Drama, role play, and storytelling inspired by the orchard environment.
- Other activities designed to help children develop new skills, build confidence, make friends, and experience new challenges in a supportive outdoor setting.

St Laurence Orchard contains lots of brambles and nettles and as such, children are strong encouraged to wear long trousers and long sleeves. Sturdy, closed-toe footwear is essential to attend. Flip-flops, crocs or opened-toe shoes are NOT permitted due to Health and Safety.

Please note - although we try our best to accommodate, the site is not fully enclosed so may not be suitable for children who present a high flight risk.

Each session will be spent outside, other than in exceptional adverse weather. This means we are not put off by the rain or sunshine, so please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. This includes sun hats, water bottles, sun cream, rain jackets, waterproof trousers. We are off grid and will be having lots of fun in nature so please wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty!

We do not have running water on site, so while we bring our own supply of water for the day, we encourage parents to supply large water bottles for their children.

We are a no phone area so encourage all devices to be left at home. If electronics are bought on site, they will need to remain in bags for the duration of the session.

St Laurence Orchard is well connected on transport links.
Bus: St Laurence bus stop located 3 minute walk away from site - Number 9 (from Shoeburyness), X30 (from Southend-on-sea City Centre) or 23A Leigh Link (from Leigh-on-sea)
Car: Free car park opposite St Laurence Orchard drop-off point.