Bedford primary schools can book free outdoor learning days at The Chellington Centre, funded by The Panacea Trust: orienteering or Anglo-Saxons and Vikings.

Primary schools across Bedford can now take pupils to The Chellington Centre for a day of outdoor learning without paying for it. The visits are funded by The Panacea Trust and are aimed at schools that would otherwise struggle to afford a trip out of the classroom.

The centre, a charity in the North Bedfordshire countryside, is offering two programmes for the free days, and schools pick one: Map Explorers, or Anglo-Saxons meet the Vikings. Both are built around the land and the history on the centre’s doorstep.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer these fun-packed activities days to children who simply cannot otherwise afford this,” said Claire Bassett, Programme Manager at The Chellington Centre. “We are very grateful to The Panacea Trust.”

Map Explorers: LEGO first, then the compass

The map day starts indoors. Pupils use LEGO brick modelling to learn how a map represents real ground, then take that outside for orienteering challenges, using a map and compass to find their way around the surrounding countryside. The centre says the day is meant to build confidence, teamwork and problem-solving as much as map reading.

Anglo-Saxons meet the Vikings: the Ouse as a frontier

The history day goes back to the 9th century, when, as the centre puts it, “for a short time the River Great Ouse marked the border between the Danelaw and the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex”. Children dress first for everyday life and later for battle, and through re-enactment learn how archaeology and history are used to work out what happened in the past. The photograph above, published by the centre with its announcement, is from one of those days: pupils behind a wall of painted shields as a stone flies overhead.

Who runs it

The Chellington Centre describes itself as a charity that “provides an inspirational rural environment where young people can develop their personal potential”. Its stated aims are to offer recreational and residential experiences that improve wellbeing, to make sure every young person can come “regardless of financial hardship or disability”, and to give them a closer connection with the natural world. It says it welcomed more than 3,000 residential and day visitors last year.

The centre has also published the announcement on its own news page, where its regular school day activities are listed too.

What it means for you

If you teach at, or help run, a Bedford primary school that has had to drop trips because of cost, this is a free day out to ask about. The centre asks schools to contact the office to take up a place:

  • Phone: 01234 720724
  • Email: admin@chellington.org
  • Contacts: Claire Bassett, Programme Manager, and Debbie Holloway, Centre Manager

The centre has not said how many free days the funding covers.

Information supplied by The Chellington Centre.