About Us
Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre is owned and operated by registered charity Community First. The charity also manages Linkenholt Countryside Adventure Centre in partnership with The Blagrave Trust. Both Oxenwood and Linkenholt Centres are operated on a not-for-profit basis, offering affordable and high-quality residential and day trips for schools, clubs and groups.
As a charity that works with adults, children and young people, we believe in outdoor education for all. This includes opportunities to learn and explore outside the classroom, confidence building, teamwork and taking part in adventure activities in a structured and safe environment.
Mission Statement
Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre is committed to delivering quality and professional outdoor education to all to help nurture health and happiness, offering a bespoke, quality Centre on a single occupancy basis.
About Community First
Community First is a registered charity (288117) based in Devizes and a member of the Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) network. Our Patron is Her Majesty The Queen.
Community First supports young people through our award-winning ‘youth arm’ Youth Action Wiltshire. This includes support for young carers, young people facing challenges in their lives, young victims of crime and young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). Many of our activity programmes take place at Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre and Linkenholt Countryside Adventure Centre.
As the managing partner for the Building Bridges and Inspire Swindon programmes, Community First is leading a partnership of organisations in Swindon and Wiltshire, who are working together to help people overcome their barriers to employment and education. The programmes are funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund.
Community First supports communities across Wiltshire and Swindon through advisory services for village halls and local councils, as well as community development programmes including community transport, community-led housing and community organising. Community First also works with local landfill operators to distribute grant funding for community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund.
Community First is a champion for local enterprise and we love fresh ideas that make local communities better places to live and work. We think outside the box to develop new ideas through consultancy, trading and creative services. This includes Community Insurance and Minibus Driver Awareness (MiDAS) Training for schools, voluntary groups and organisations.
Youth Action Wiltshire
Oxenwood and Linkenholt Centres are key delivery locations for respite and activities delivered by our Youth Action Wiltshire teams. Income from Oxenwood and Linkenholt helps to support Community First programmes and services, including our services for young people:
Some of the activities provided for young people supported by Youth Action Wiltshire include:
Climbing
High Ropes
Horse Riding
Paddle-boarding
Mini Beast Hunting
Stream Dipping
Archery
Team Building
Our Impact in 2022-2023
Disadvantaged young people benefitted from outdoor education
Free to access, varied group work sessions provided
Day projects provided for schools and youth clubs
Residential projects provided for schools and youth groups
Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre
During 2022-2023, 174 free-to-access, varied group work outdoor education sessions were provided at Oxenwood Outdoor Education Centre, including 8 residential projects benefiting a total of 514 vulnerable and disadvantaged young people. Oxenwood also provided 60 day and 35 residential projects of varying lengths for schools and youth groups.
Linkenholt Countryside Adventure Centre
In 2022-2023, 12 day activities and 28 residential projects of between 1-3 nights were provided at Linkenholt Countryside Adventure Centre.
External users of this site included; Various Duke of Edinburgh groups, Scouts, targeted school groups, Cubs, Guides and foster families.
Bookings and Enquiries
