Trust Links Forest School Shoebury Summer 2026

Trust Links Shoeburyness is a welcoming, community wellbeing site, offering a large outdoor green space, community garden, and an award-winning labyrinth designed to promote reflection, mindfulness and wellbeing. The site also includes a small indoor space, accessible toilet facilities, and benefits from good public transport links.

The site provides a flexible, nature-based environment with open green spaces, quiet areas and opportunities for both active play and calm, restorative activities. Sessions can be adapted to support children with additional needs, anxiety or sensory sensitivities, ensuring all children can participate at a pace and in a way that suits them.

Our usual forest school sessions will continue to run over the Summer Holidays, but we have introduced a booking system to ensure we can safely manage numbers of attendees.

These sessions are delivered in line with Forest School principles, using child-led, experiential learning facilitated by trained Forest School Practitioners. While the site has fewer mature trees than our orchard, it offers a rich outdoor environment that encourages exploration, creativity, teamwork and connection with nature.

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.

Trust Links Shoeburyness contains a variety of natural features and uneven ground. Children are strongly encouraged to wear long trousers and sturdy, closed-toe footwear. Flip-flops, Crocs and open-toe shoes are not permitted due to Health and Safety requirements.

If you haven't joined us for a forest school session before, please follow this link to complete a forest school referral form. This will help speed up the process on the day and allow you to join in with activities straight away;
https://www.trustlinks.org/referrals/

Please note that whilst we do our best to provide a safe environment, the site is not fully enclosed and may not be suitable for children who present a high flight risk.

Each session will take place outdoors, except in cases of exceptional adverse weather. We embrace the benefits of being outside in all seasons, so please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather conditions. This may include sun hats, sun cream, waterproof clothing, warm layers and suitable footwear. As we will be exploring and enjoying nature, please wear clothes that you do not mind getting muddy or dirty.

There is drinking water available on site; however, we recommend that all children bring a named water bottle to ensure they stay hydrated throughout the session.

The site includes a pond and other natural features. Parents and carers remain responsible for their children at all times, particularly when near the pond and surrounding water areas.

We are a no-phone area and encourage all electronic devices to be left at home. If devices are brought to the session, they must remain in bags for the duration of the activity.

Transport Links
Bus: Arriva bus services 7, 8 and 9, as well as First Bus service 26, all of which stop within walking distance of the site.

Train: Shoeburyness Railway Station is approximately a 10–15 minute walk from the site and is served by c2c.

Car: Limited parking is available on site, with additional parking available nearby. Please park considerately and follow any local parking restrictions.