Walton Firs Activity Centre - High Quality Outdoor Learning

Walton Firs Activity Centre is an award-winning provider of outdoor learning services for young people up to the age of 18. Located to the south-west of London, the activity centre was commissioned by over 60 primary, secondary and SEND schools to deliver residential and day-stay outdoor education programmes, and engaged more than 19,000 individual young people during 2022!

We interviewed Chris Scott, Walton Firs’ chief executive officer and activity centre manager, to find out more about this Surrey-based charity which is forging a reputation as a ‘go-to’ provider of residential curriculum enhancement programmes for schools across the south-east of England…

Hi Chris. Let’s cut to the chase - why should schools be booking their residential and day-stay programmes at Walton Firs Activity Centre?

Well, above and beyond our amazing programme offer of twenty-five land-based outdoor learning activities - including our renowned High Ropes and Caving facilities - Walton Firs Activity Centre boasts several unique selling points that I hope will convince schools to make us their first-choice provider for their residential and day-stay activity programmes!

Firstly, we’re a not-for-profit organisation and a registered charitable foundation. This means that every penny of our income is reinvested back into our services, and not into the pockets of company owners or shareholders. As a result, we’re investing to update our programmes and to develop new facilities and programmes on an ongoing basis. For example, in 2023, we’ll be opening a new tomahawk-throwing range and aeroball activity facility, plus a new catering kitchen, outdoor washing-up station, visitors’ coffee shop, and a refurbished toilet block! Our charitable status also enables us to keep our prices to a level that offers best financial value to schools - increasingly important in these days of pressured budgets!

Secondly, our location in central Surrey - we’re just off Junction 10 of the M25 - means we’re no more than ninety minutes travel time from any location in London and the home counties. This reduces schools’ transport costs and travel times, and maximises the value of their curriculum enhancement budgets! Our location means that many schools take the opportunity to use local transport links to take their students into London whilst staying with us too - a perfect way to deliver geography or history fieldwork alongside outdoor education.

Thirdly, we’re happy to design programmes of activity that are bespoke to the needs and aspirations of each school that commissions us, rather than expecting them to fit into a rigid timetable as happens with other service providers. We aim to offer every young person an opportunity to learn, develop and enjoy in the natural environment, irrespective of their individual support and engagement needs. We welcome working in partnership with schools to design inclusive programmes that are applicable to their students’ levels of competence and confidence, and relevant to their interests and aspirations.

Finally, we’re an ethical employer that pays our employees above the National Living Wage, and invests in their ongoing professional development. As a result, each school that uses our services can do so with confidence that its programmes will be designed and delivered by appropriately qualified and vetted professional members of staff, with each outdoor education instructor committed to deliver the highest quality of personal development opportunities for every young person!

What can you tell us about your residential provision on your site?

We offer a wide range of residential accommodation within our beautiful 36-acre woodland site, which is fully secured safeguarded with boundary fencing and CCTV coverage, and has a full-time DBS-certificated facilities manager living on-site.

For schools that want to commission a ‘full-on’ outdoor experience, we have capacity to accommodate up to 1,000 students within 12 managed campsites, and can provide our own high-quality tents where required. All campers have access to tap water supplies, outdoor washing-up facilities, and gendered washrooms with hot showers.

We can also accommodate school groups in two on-site accommodation buildings that offer between 24 and 32 dormitory berths for students and separate bedrooms for teaching staff. Each building provides a fully equipped catering kitchen, an association hall with tables and chairs, and a dedicated toilet facility. These residential facilities can be booked alongside another building with a large hall, where schools require additional provision for teaching and catering. For those schools that would prefer a unique residential experience, we can offer three woodland pod villages, offering accommodation for up to 72 students and 18 teaching staff in centrally heated luxury!

In addition, we have a well-stocked on-site shop and wi-fi-equipped barista coffee bar facility, plus hireable classroom facilities across our site. For schools that are looking for full-board accommodation, we can provide professional catering and informal evening activities to ensure that students are fed and occupied from dawn to dusk!

Sounds impressive! I see you refer to Walton Firs as an ‘award-wining activity centre’. What is the award and why did you receive it?

The Walton Firs Foundation is very proud to be a recipient of The Queens’ Award for Voluntary Service - the equivalent of an MBE for organisations! We received the Award in recognition of our Foundation’s longstanding commitment to young people’s personal development and our community volunteering programmes. It’s the ultimate ‘quality kite mark’, but one that we’re looking to build upon with the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom's LOtC Quality Badge and other national accreditation later this year.

For more information about Walton firs Activity Centre's programmes, facilities and charges, please visit www.waltonfirs.co.uk or phone the activity centre on 01932 863 243.