Thames Young Mariners Outdoor Education Centre Surrey

Established over 40 years ago, this 25 acre site includes a 10 acre lake, alongside the River Thames, between Richmond and Kingston.

In addition to land-based activities, Thames Young Mariners offers water-based activities in a controlled environment, providing a unique space for learning and self-discovery in the natural environment. The centre is recognised as a teaching centre by the RYA and British Canoeing.

Our activities are delivered by qualified and highly experienced outdoor education instructors. Whether you book for one day, a week or a weekly programme, our staff will facilitate a structured outdoor experience and engage with your group to maximise their learning opportunities.

Activities available at Thames Young Mariners include: adventure/night walks, archery, bell boating, canoeing, challenge course, climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, orienteering, raft building, sailing, stand up paddle boarding (SUP), team tasks and woodland skills.

Activities can be adapted for disabled groups including archery, orienteering, woodland skills, a variety of paddle sports canoeing, kayaking, raft building, bell boating and sailing. At Thames Young Mariners we also have two specifically designed, highly accessible sailing boats also available.

Thames Young Mariners is part of Surrey Outdoor Learning and Development which is a not for profit organisation focused on the personal development of young people.

SOLD is proud to be supporting the campaign for #Brilliant Residentials as a Learning Away champion. This campaign highlights the benefits of learning through high-quality residential experiences (backed by compelling research created through the Learning Away programme www.learningaway.org.uk ). The aim is to increase the number of residentials taking place across the UK, and improve the quality of the residential experiences. Ultimately, this aims to lead to improved resilience, relationships, achievement and brighter, brilliant futures for young people.

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SOLD offer high quality, bespoke outdoor experiences and each visit either day or residential are created around the identified learning outcomes for the individual customer at the time of booking. SOLD’s Learning Outcome Tree – https://www.surreyoutdoorlearning.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/91243/SOLD-Outcome-Learning-Tree-Full-Doc.pdf

Identifies five key developmental areas including:

PERSONAL – Developing skills to maximize personal achievement

PHYSICAL – Increasing physical movement, ability and enjoyment

KNOWLEDGE – Growing understanding relating to the wider world and specific curriculum outcomes

SOCIAL – Improving behaviours to work better with others

EMOTIONAL – Fostering positive feelings, emotional literacy and mental health

These areas are then worked and developed upon with the group during their visit.

Thames Young Mariners offers two teepee villages from Easter to October for an exciting residential experience for up to 90 visitors including group leaders.

‘Buffalo Creek’ and Lakeview teepee villages are nestled amongst the trees and are designed to be warm and cosy on cooler nights whilst remaining cool and comfortable on warmer nights; the teepees will be a unique and memorable residential experience for your group.

Both teepee villages are pitched around their own campfire – the perfect place to end each day as a team; drinking hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows whilst reflecting upon the day’s achievements. Satellite tents are also available for group leaders

Our catering team is continually praised for their top quality and varied meal options by visiting groups to Thames Young Mariners. We have been awarded the Eat Out Eat Well Gold Standard Award, which means our highly trained catering staff provide healthy eating options – increased fruit and vegetables and decreased fat, sugar and salt. We can cater for most specialised diets, for instance, vegetarians, coeliacs and guests with food allergies. All meals are freshly prepared on site. There is little chance of going hungry during a stay at Thames Young Mariners!

SOLD are very proud of the high level of accreditation achieved across its outdoor learning centres. These include:

AHOEC – Gold Standard

LOtC Quality Badge

AAIAC Adventuremark

AALA

Green Achiever

Eat Out, Eat Well

Approved centres for:

Mountain Training

British Canoeing

RYA

SOLD outdoor learning experiences are developed to the individual needs of the group. In additional to identifying key learning outcomes, visits can also link to key areas of the national curriculum.

Our instructors work on a 1:10 ratio with groups and each session runs for 3 hours to ensure a quality learning experience.

We are open seven days a week, all year round for day visits and between Easter and October for residential visits in the teepee villages. Residential visits usually run from one to four nights but the duration of the stay is determined by the individual group’s requirements.

Thames Young Mariners can cater for up to 150* young people and their leaders for day visits and 90 * visitors in the teepee villages. *Subject to availability, gender splits and ages.

As SOLD offer a bespoke service, we work with the individual group to discuss their topics, projects and lesson plans so that their students? outdoor learning experience is embedded as an extension to their classroom work.

A printed SOLD log book is provided for residential groups to map their personal and group journeys throughout their trip.

We always encourage group leaders to make a centre visit before their trip to familiarise themselves with the centre and to fine tune their programme.

All media can be undertaken within the school and centre’s child protection and safety and safeguarding policy. There are no copyright restrictions.

All risk assessments are produced for visiting groups for the individual activities that will be undertaken during the visit and will supplied at time of booking. SOLD always encourage group leaders to undertake a centre visit at Thames Young Mariners before bringing their group.

For any safeguarding and safety information, our contact is Rob Fidgett, Operations Manager for SOLD. – outdoor.learning@surreycc.gov.uk.

As each booking is bespoke to the needs of the group, residential visit prices are upon application.

At time of booking a full kit list is supplied. However, as a guide, a waterproof jacket, long sleeved tops, long trousers and sensible shoes or boots are a basic must with the variable weather in the UK and a change of clothes and towel for water based activities.

All SOLD instructors are qualified First Aiders and can administer basic First Aid as needed.

There is no need for young people to bring any money to Thames Young Mariners. There is plenty of space for eating catered meals in the main hall and other buildings at Thames Young Mariners and covered outdoor spaces for eating packed lunches.

Thames Young Mariners welcome SEN young people as we are very proud of our inclusive and adapted activities. We offer many different activities with adaptive capacity, thus enabling all visitors to participate and achieve their personal best. These activities include archery, orienteering, woodland skills, a variety of paddle sports canoeing, kayaking, raft building, bell boating and sailing. At Thames Young Mariners we also have two specifically designed, highly accessible sailing boats also available.

Our staff have extensive experience of working with groups with mixed needs and abilities.

Also available – Angel Blue our 63ft fully accessible canal boat docked at Dapdune Wharf in Guildford can be used as a residential boat and can sleep up to 10 people. Equipped with two lifts for entry, toilets, showers, a kitchen and space for up to four wheelchair users. Trips can last a single morning/afternoon, or several days.

We are open all year round, 7 days a week with our activity sessions usually running 9.30 am – 12.30pm, 1.30pm to 4.30pm and 5.30pm to 8.30pm.