Schools Out! Free after school activity sessions for local primary children

We’re delighted to announce that due to funding from the Leamington Spa based charity ThinkActive we are able to open up the Gardens exclusively for young children for free during Term Time this summer.

We know that however much our kids may love school, by the end of the day there’s a whole heap of energy pent up inside. 

It all needs space and permission to emerge and dissipate.

This May and June we are opening up the Gardens after school exclusively for local infant and primary aged children, so they can let off steam, go for a wander, get some air and find their equilibrium … before it’s time for quiet time and sleep. 

Starting on May 3^rd and then every  Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3.30 to 6pm,  during term time, we will be open for children (usually 3- 9 years) alongside their grown ups.

Entry to the Gardens will be free and we will have activities -  some led by our team and some free ranging.

On Wednesdays, the activities will be broadly:  ‘Woodland Adventures’ -playing and exploring amongst the trees, each week will be a different woodland adventure : den building, fire lighting, slacklining to name a few… Get moving in Nature!  

Thursdays its ‘Wild Games’ - high energy nature based games and challenges.   

Fridays will be lawn games and quieter activities for whoever wishes it.

The cafe will be open and there will be at least one ‘mini meal’ offered at a ‘pay as you can’ rate.

Children must be accompanied by their adult carers, (max 4 children per adult) and we encourage grownups to join in the activities.

The Gardens

The 10 acres of enclosed formal gardens at Castle Bromwich are more than 350 years old and are set next to a further 30 acres of Parkland and Nature Reserve. Often dubbed a ‘secret gem’ ,the Charitable Trust who own the Gardens, are aware of just how valued the area of green is in the area.

‘There are over 80,000 people living within a 15minute walk of the Gardens’, says Glynis Powell General Manager of the Trust, “ and we want to share the glory of these gardens with our neighbours – here’s access to nature on their doorstep and a great big ‘back garden’ to relax in and explore.”

“This is a bit of an experiment for us” she adds, “our family friendly programme especially during the pandemic, really identified the need for a safe space for younger children immediately after school.

We usually close at 4.30, but will stay open just for children and their adults so the children can get that space to emotionally and physically ‘process’ what has happened during  the day. There is no need to book, so parents can gauge whether to come at the last minute.”

The ThinkActive charity who, like us, believe passionately in the power and impact of the outdoors and physical activity to transform lives and keep people living well – and that’s for the grown-ups as well as the kids.