The Chellington Centre Outdoor Learning Residentials Bedfordshire

The Chellington Centre Outdoor Learning Residentials Bedfordshire will help transforming young lives through fun-filled learning outside the classroom.

The Chellington Centre is an inspirational rural setting where young people can develop their potential, expand their horizons and experience a sense of possibility beyond their everyday lives.

A distinctive feature of Chellington is that it is always offered for exclusive use, allowing young people to connect with each other, try new experiences and reflect on their lives without interruption or distraction, returning to everyday life with renewed confidence and perspective. Chellington is a place of transformation.

We offer:

• Exclusive-use residentials in our incredible converted and extended 12th century church
• Flexible accommodation for up to 72, with bunkrooms for 36 and an additional camping facility for 36
• Communal rooms including a large hall and two multi-use rooms
• Fully equipped kitchen for self-catering with support available
• Cross-curricula activity days – led by a Chellington tutor to bring learning to life – react Anglo-Saxons v Vikings battle, go on a map adventure or connect with nature with forest skills – see our list of activities for more details
• Activity resource packs – low cost resources to support you with local history, geography, and nature exploration activities
• Comprehensive risk assessments
• Barbeque, campfire and sensory garden
• Multi-purpose 4-acre activity field and games field
• Planning support from our on-site team

The Chellington Centre offers fieldwork and outdoor learning experiences for groups of all ages. Our programmes use adventure and outdoor learning to expand children’s experiences and teach curriculum focused work.

Primary schools can pick and choose from a range of exciting curriculum-linked sessions to build a bespoke trip.

For secondary and A level groups we offer field study trips either led by a Chellington tutor who is a qualified secondary school Geography teacher or self-led study days using our field study resource packs.

Activities can be tailored to your own requirements and built into your residential experience to ensure your pupils get the most from your visit.

This is from one of our visiting schools:

“When I visited Chellington for the first time I was awed by the location and views. Our children live in a deprived area of Luton; they don’t see nature, and few have gardens. At Chellington they are able to see the vastness of the countryside and to know there is much more available to them than is found in their current world. They can climb trees, walk across a field of cows and sheep, sit round a campfire. It sparks their imagination and widens their horizons and creates an invaluable aspirational experience.

We created an orienteering course around the village. The children worked as a team and had lots of outdoor experience. With a night away they learnt how to look after themselves and all of the children came back, growing in confidence and becoming more rounded children. I believe that the children gained more from this venue than they can from any other residential providers.” St Matthew’s Primary School, Luton

Curriculum-Linked Activities:

Anglo-Saxons meet the Vikings

Map Explorers

Winding Rivers

GCSE Geography River Fieldwork

A level Physical Geography Fieldwork for Independent Investigators

Other Resources and Equipment

Chellington Outdoor Treasure Trail
Chellington Indoor Quiz

Indoor table football and table tennis

Campfire and BBQ

Catering equipment for children to use

Harrold & Odell Country Park

• Pond dipping
• Bug hunting
• Short-course orienteering

Local walks through time

Nature walks

Soft Archery

Kite Flying

In & Outdoor Games Pack

Movie/Karaoke equipment

Scavenger Art

Other Activities (subject to availability)

Forest Skills

Boot Camp

Raptor Encounters

Mobile Farm

Mobile Zoo

Archery

LOtC quality badge

We can sleep up to 36 indoors in bunkrooms and a further 36 camping. Accommodation maximum is 72.

Total indoor sleeping capacity is 36: 6 bunkrooms sleeping 4, 5 or 6 are situated in the old aisles of the church, a bunkroom situated in the corridor to the washrooms sleeps a further 4, and the Winnie Hall Room converts into sofabeds for a further 6.

School and youth groups have the option to use our Red Kite campsite and new Herald Building to expand their total numbers up to a maximum of 72.

We are happy to discuss any configuration of indoor and outdoor accommodation that will help you achieve the objectives of your residential.

Washrooms: There are 5 separate shower cubicles and 7 toilets in the main building plus the option to use a further 4 shower cubicles and toilets in washrooms in the Herald Building (includes an accessible shower/toilet in both buildings).

Site and activity risk assessments provided

We are happy for groups to take photographs and videos.

Programme Manager: Claire Bassett

Centre Manager: Debbie Holloway

Booking contact: admin@chellington.org or 01234 720726

We offer different price bands for the autumn/spring terms and the summer term.
Please see our website for prices or call the office 01234 720724.

We prioritise affordability and inclusion, providing subsidised access for those facing financial, social or educational barriers – please see Chellington Bursary Fund for further information.

All staff are trained in first aid.

The Group Leader is responsible for:

• Bringing required medication
• Holding consent forms and medical information
• Providing first aid for their group
• Informing parents/carers of any medical treatment or hospital visit
• Maintaining emergency contact access

In the event of serious emergency, both the Group Leader and Centre staff will cooperate in contacting emergency services.

All our amazing spaces, both inside the main building and in the surrounding area, have been designed with maximum flexibility in mind for games, educational activities or for the children to simply enjoy their freedom.

Key features of our beautiful site:

• Exclusive use
• Large hall (capacity 72) for dining or indoor activities
• 2 additional meeting rooms (capacity for each up to 36) for dining or indoor activities 
• Washrooms inside the main building and in the Herald Building
• Accessible washrooms inside the main building and in the Herald Building
• Kitchen fully equipped for self-catering
• Table tennis and table football inside the main building
• Campfire and barbeque – delight in the views with no immediate neighbours
• Games field and 4-acre activity field – ample space for fun activites and the freedom to explore
• Overlooking the valley of Great Ouse river and Harrold-Odell Country Park – with plentiful walks straight from our doorstep
• Well located – between M1 and A1 with easy access to London, Cambridge and Oxford
• Ample parking – for cars, minibuses and coaches

We encourage groups to self-cater; we believe in our young visitors developing independence during their stay, including cooking and making their own beds!

From 2027, we will be offering an optional catering support service to support self-catering. Choose from 3 menus for your evening meal; all easy cook crowd-pleasers! Recipes for these menus with dietary and allergen alternatives are available for these menus. You handle the rest.

Alternatively, we can put you in touch with a local caterer who will cater for your specific needs.

We are committed to being open and accessible to all so that a wide range of people can enjoy the experience at Chellington.

Accessibility at the Centre is good. Facilities support wheelchair users, people who are blind or partially sighted, those who are hard of hearing, and individuals with limited mobility.

Please see our Accessibility Guide for further information.

“When I visited Chellington for the first time I was awed by the location and views. Our children live in a deprived area of Luton; they don’t see nature, and few have gardens. At Chellington they are able to see the vastness of the countryside and to know there is much more available to them than is found in their current world. They can climb trees, walk across a field of cows and sheep, sit round a campfire. It sparks their imagination and widens their horizons and creates an invaluable aspirational experience.

We created an orienteering course around the village. The children worked as a team and had lots of outdoor experience. With a night away they learnt how to look after themselves and all of the children came back, growing in confidence and becoming more rounded children. I believe that the children gained more from this venue than they can from any other residential providers.” St Matthew’s Primary School, Luton

“We had a lovely time – the children thoroughly enjoyed their stay. They enjoyed participating in the orienteering activity, playing on the field and helping to prepare their own meals. The orienteering was great – clearly explained and lots of fun. The children enjoyed using the equipment and following the maps. The bursary allowed this visit to be accessible to all children in the class, some of whom wouldn’t have been able to go had we not had the bursary.” St Helen’s Primary

“We had a lovely time and the children really enjoyed themselves. They learnt a lot from the orienteering activity and the Lego activity. The facilities are really good and the children enjoyed the fresh air.” Loughton School

“Our GCSE students had an amazing time at the Chellington Centre studying the River Great Ouse. They loved getting into the river to collect primary data! An experience that brought geography to life and created lasting memories.” Head of Geography, Bedford

Secondary School

The Chellington Centre is set in a spectacular location in rural Bedfordshire, with stunning views across the Great Ouse valley.

Chellington is only 30 minutes from the M1 and A1 motorways, but a world apart.