THE SUSTAINABILITY CENTRE
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        • Living Willow Tree Course
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        • Willow Obelisks Course
        • Willow Weaving Weekend
      • Food and Gardening Courses >
        • Clay Oven Building Course
        • Kitchen Gardening Course
      • Forest School Training >
        • Climbing Frames, Ropes & Ladders with Jon Cree
        • Forest School Leader Training
        • Forest School Taster Day
        • Supporting Children through Anxiety and Trauma with Jon Cree
      • Health & Wellbeing Courses >
        • Medicinal Herb Workshops
        • Mental Health First Aid Course
        • Youth Mental Health First Aid Course
      • Nature Connection and Folklore Courses >
        • Art, Sound and Meditation Course
        • Foraging, Fire and Folklore
        • Nature Led Meditation
        • Unwind in the Woods
      • Permaculture Courses >
        • Intro to Permaculture Design Course
      • Sustainable Land Management Courses >
        • Coppicing Course
        • Hedgelaying Course
        • Wildflower Meadows Course
        • Woodland Management
    • Online Experiences
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  • Burial Site
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    • Chalk Grassland
    • Compost Toilet
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    • Herb Garden
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    • Painting as Meditation
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Picture

FAMILY ​OVERNIGHT ADVENTURES
​
AGE 7 & OVER  

DATES & BOOKING

ADVANCED WILDERNESS ​SKILLS ​
AGE 12 & OVER

DATES & BOOKING

​Family Day time Activities
Age 7 & over  

DATES & BOOKING

Family Holiday Activities 

Bring your family to an exciting wilderness experience at The Sustainability Centre in the South Downs.

Our survival and nature exploration is inspired by John Muir, the adventurer,    survival expert and botanist. He climbed mountains and glaciers with just an axe and washing line. He survived by creating natural shelters, identifying plants for food, medicine and using traditional wood crafts.

We have designed our activities to be COVID secure and socially distant, whilst still having plenty of fun. With two different workshops each day, families can have a full day out if they choose.

Family
​Overnight Adventures

​
Age 7 & Over    

DATES & BOOKING
These wild overnight adventures allow you to bring your family of up to 5 to an exciting wilderness experience which is all part of your overnight adventure.

ACTIVITY
As a family you will spend a morning or an afternoon in our 55 acre woodland with a Bushcraft expert. Have a go at building camp fires, making tools, building shelters, wild foraging and cooking.

£40 per half day activity
Up to 5 people

PLUS 

ACCOMMODATION
The Accommodation
Your overnight stay includes accommodation of your choice, with 1 extra overnight space, so you can sleep 6.

Camping - £45 
We have reserved camping pitch 1 which sleeps 6. Bring your own tent and cooking equipment. Our off grid camp site is safe for children and has showers and toilets. A wonderful natural place to begin your adventure.

Hostel - £104 
We have reserved 2 self catering bunk rooms of 3, sleeping 6 all together. There is a large dining room, fully equiped kitchen, cosy lounge area, shared showers and a bathroom.

B&B - £285 
For a bit of luxury we have reserved 3 double rooms in our new B&B with en suite showers and breakfast provided.

Advanced Wilderness
​Skills
​

Age 12 & over

DATES & BOOKING
Our Long-awaited specialist Activities for older kids & teenagers.
 
These Activities are designed for adults and over 12s to have the opportunity to work together on a project to learn a specialist skill or create an end product to be proud of.
 
A unique opportunity to work with one of our experienced outdoor instructors in a small group enabling both the adult and over 12s to be confident in their newly taught skill, work together and learn from each other in a relaxed, peaceful environment.
 
Each young person to be accompanied with one adult. Learn a new skill with confidence.
 
£50 per half day activity
Up to 2 people (Adult & Child)
Book a whole day for 10% off 
​

​Family
Day time
Activities


Age 7 & over  

DATES & BOOKING
Bring your family to an exciting wilderness experience at the Sustainability Centre in the heart of the Downs.

£40 per half day activity
Up to 5 people
Book a whole day for 10% off

​​Extra Information and Joining Instructions 

Ages
Check each workshop for minimum ages.
Clothing
Please wear appropriate clothing for all weather conditions. Closed foot wear and covered legs and arms will be required for both parents/carers and children. We recommend a change of clothing.

​Food
Please always bring lunch and snacks. As the cafe is not available on Mondays. Parents are welcome to bring a packed lunch and flask to consume after the class.

Leave No Trace
Remember we leave no trace in the woods so bring as little packaging in your snacks as possible. Also please bring a bag to take all of your rubbish away.
 
Our Grounds are Always Open to the Public
On arrival please come to the main reception to register. Bush Craft courses take place in a dedicated place in the woodland.

Dogs
Dogs may not be brought along to courses unless there is a Guide Dog, Hearing Dog or similar. 

Access
​Please let us know if you have any special requirements. We will do our very best to make courses accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. 
 

Age Limits
If your child is within a year of the age limits then please book them on and let us know. 

Adult to Child Ratio
A parent/carer must attend with each child.

Younger Siblings
Younger siblings will not be able to attend.
​

​Cancellation and Refunds Policy

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS POLICY

3.5 a    We do not offer refunds for events or bookings of any sort except in extreme and exceptional circumstances.
 
3.5 b   We do offer credit notes to be spent on future events or bookings, (within one year) subject 1 months’ notice of the booked event. An admin fee of 10% minimum £10 will be payable in all cases. Any difference in price will need to be paid by the customer. No refund for a lesser price will be possible and no partial credits will be held forward for another booking.

3.5 c   We can transfer your booking to one of your friends or family. An admin fee of 10% minimum £10 will be payable.
   
3.5 d   Refunds Exceptional Circumstances
In exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness or hospitalisation customers may be eligible for a 50% refund. Customers would need to apply in writing/email. An admin fee of 10% minimum £10 will be payable. 

3.5 e Adult Courses and Accommodation.
Adult Courses and Accommodation Refunds Policy varies and is tailored to those specific areas. Please see Terms and Conditions in those sections. 

​3.5 f Course Cancellations
In the very unlikely event that we have to cancel a course or event, or have to cancel your booking for any other reason, we will refund your fees in full.​

​John Muir Quote
‘Were trees mere mechanical sculptures what noble objects they would be! How much more throbbing, thrilling, overflowing, full of life in every fibre and cell, grand glowing silver rods- the very Gods of the plant kingdom, living their sublime centaury in sight of heaven, watched and loved and admired from generation to generation.’







John Muir Fact
John Muir won first prize at the Madison state fair for his whittled wooden clocks.







John Muir Quote
‘Always fond of flowers, attracted by their external beauty and purity. Now my eyes were opened to their inner beauty.’

 





John Muir Quote
‘Indian people walk softly and hurt the landscape hardly more than the birds and squirrels, and their brush and bark huts last hardly longer than those of wood rats.’








John Muir Quote
‘Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.’



Times

​Morning     
10.30 am to 12.30pm
Afternoon   
1.30 pm to 3.30 pm
​
Meet 15 minutes before each activity outside reception.

​Age Guide

Age 7+

​​Family Groups

​Wild Ways Workshops are for family groups with adults, and up to 4 children aged 7+.
Picture
​John Muir Fact 
John Muir would live in the outdoors for weeks at a time cooking his own bread and brewing teas.

 John Muir Quote
Just bread and water and delightful toil is all I need - not unreasonably much, yet one ought to be trained and tempered to enjoy life in these brave wilds in full independence of any particular kind of nourishment.








John Muir Fact
John Muir walked a 1000-mile trek cataloguing all the plants he found for he realised after temporally losing his sight how vital it was to enjoy nature.

 







John Muir Quote
'So extravagant is nature with her choicest treasures, spending plant beauty as spends sunshine, pouring it forth into land and sea, garden and desert. And so the beauty of lilies falls on angels and men, bears and squirrels. wolves and sheep, birds and bees...’

 
 





​
John Muir Quote
‘Drinking this champagne water is pure pleasure, so is breathing the living air, and every movement of the limbs is pleasure, while the whole body seems to feel beauty when exposed to it....’




​
John Muir Fact 
John Muir survived outdoors with just his tweed jacket, axe and washing line for climbing in some of the most dangerous terrains in the world.
​
Picture

Earthworks Trust & Earthworks Foundation

​The Sustainability Centre is owned and operated by ​The Earthworks Trust (Charity No.1079866).
Our trading company is Earthworks Foundation. All profits go to support our charity The Earthworks Trust.

SITE VISITORS

Please be aware that our 55 acre site is privately owned. Customers and clients are welcomed at their own risk. All visitors are reminded that this is a countryside site and all tracks, paths and car parks are informal, uneven and may not all be suitable for people with mobility issues.
As we are located in the South Downs National Park dark skies zone, there is no lighting on site after dark.
We advise sturdy, appropriate footwear at all times and use of a torch at night.


​Charity Number ​​ 1079866

Picture

Main Address

The Sustainability Centre 
​Droxford Road,
East Meon, Hants
​GU32 1HR
01730 823166

Reception

01730 823166
​info@sustainability-centre.org

South Downs Eco Lodge & Camp Site

South Downs Eco Lodge
​The Sustainability Centre 
​Droxford Road,
East Meon, Hants
​GU32 1HR
01730 823549
​​accommodation@sustainability-centre.org

Cafe

01730 823755
infobeechcafe@gmail.com  

Burials

​01730 823425
​burials@sustainability-centre.org

Education

​01730 823166
​education@sustainability-centre.org

Courses

01730 823166
​courses@sustainability-centre.org

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  • Home
    • Covid Announcement
    • What Is Sustainability
    • All About Us >
      • History
    • Awards
    • Bursary
    • Beech Cafe
    • Staff Team & Trustees
    • Job Opportunities
    • Partnerships >
      • Onsite Partners
    • Site Map >
      • Map
    • Find Us
    • Opening Hours
    • Contact Us >
      • Join Mailing List
      • Leave Mailing List
  • What's On
    • Evening Talks
    • South Downs Green Fair
    • Talk & Tour
    • Art Exhibitions >
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Pete Levy
    • Room & Space Hire
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Courses
    • Adult Courses >
      • Craft and Upcycling Courses >
        • Fabric Baskets Course
        • Felted Robin Workshop
        • Natural Cleaning Workshop
        • Natural Cosmetics Workshop
      • Wood Craft Courses >
        • Advanced Knife Skills
        • Gate Hurdle Making Course
        • Pendant Carving Course
        • Spoon Carving Course
        • Stool Carving Course
        • Trug Making Course
      • Willow Craft Courses >
        • Living Willow Tree Course
        • Willow Festive Decorations Course
        • Willow Frame Basket Course
        • Willow Garden Sculpture
        • Willow Obelisks Course
        • Willow Weaving Weekend
      • Food and Gardening Courses >
        • Clay Oven Building Course
        • Kitchen Gardening Course
      • Forest School Training >
        • Climbing Frames, Ropes & Ladders with Jon Cree
        • Forest School Leader Training
        • Forest School Taster Day
        • Supporting Children through Anxiety and Trauma with Jon Cree
      • Health & Wellbeing Courses >
        • Medicinal Herb Workshops
        • Mental Health First Aid Course
        • Youth Mental Health First Aid Course
      • Nature Connection and Folklore Courses >
        • Art, Sound and Meditation Course
        • Foraging, Fire and Folklore
        • Nature Led Meditation
        • Unwind in the Woods
      • Permaculture Courses >
        • Intro to Permaculture Design Course
      • Sustainable Land Management Courses >
        • Coppicing Course
        • Hedgelaying Course
        • Wildflower Meadows Course
        • Woodland Management
    • Online Experiences
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Discounts and Benefits
    • Courses Waiting List
    • Contact the Courses Team
    • Courses Terms and Conditions
    • Courses Covid Information
  • Accommodation
    • Bed & Breakfast
    • Eco Hostel
    • Yurts
    • Camping
    • Large Groups
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Things to Do >
      • Walking and Cycling Breaks
    • Booking Enquiries
    • Accommodation Terms and Conditions
    • Accommodation COVID Information
  • Children's Activities
    • Wood Mouse Forest School
    • Family Holiday Activities >
      • Family Day Time Activities
      • Family Overnight Adventures
      • Advanced Wilderness Skills
  • Schools
    • Our Education Ethos
    • Earth Protectors Conference
    • Day Trips
    • Residentials
    • Farm Tours
    • Saxon Experience
    • Forest School
    • Alternative Education >
      • Young Natural Ambassadors
    • We Can Come to Your School
    • Colleges and Universities
    • Training for Teachers
    • Meet the Team
    • Useful Information & Booking Forms
    • Contact the Education Team
  • Burial Site
    • South Downs Natural Burial Site
    • Funeral Charges
    • Information Pack
    • Flowers and Planting
    • Attending A Funeral
    • Legacies and Gifts
    • Donations
  • Our Future
    • Ready Steady Grow
    • New Learning Centre
    • South Downs Eco Lodge
  • Support Us
    • Cast Off
    • Friends >
      • Become a Friend
      • Friends Field
    • Business >
      • Business Friends
    • Leaves For Learning Appeal >
      • Fundraise for us
      • Hedgehog Eco Challenge
    • Gifts & Donations
    • Donation Form
    • Become a Volunteer
    • Leave a Legacy
    • Thank You to Our Supporters
  • Projects
    • Beekeepers
    • Chalk Grassland
    • Compost Toilet
    • Forest Gardening
    • Herb Garden
    • Permaculture
    • Straw Bale Solar Powered Showers
    • Solar Projects
    • South Downs Eco Lodge
    • Woodland Hall
    • Tree Bog
    • Wetherdown Lodge
    • Yurts
  • Eco Blog
    • Art & Craft
    • Grow Now
    • Health
    • On The Wild Side
    • Meditation
    • Painting as Meditation
    • Weave From The Hedges
    • Young People
  • Shop and Bookings
    • Gift Vouchers
    • Online T Shirt Shop
    • Online Eco Shop
    • Shop At The Centre