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WELCOME
A MESSAGE FROM THE TRUSTEES
Welcome to the Q1 edition of the Beaudesert newsletter. As we start the year, we’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our supporters, volunteers, partners, and participants for your continued commitment to Beaudesert and the positive experiences we deliver together.
In this edition, we share updates from our Trustees, reflect on the impact of our Adventures Away from Home initiative, and look ahead to an exciting year for the Beaudesert History Project.
TRUSTEE SPOTLIGHT
JEREMY COTTON
Chairman of Trustees
Jeremy is married with two children and three grandchildren. He is a retired Supply Chain Director, having worked across the food and beer industries, and originally trained as a Master Brewer.
Jeremy dedicated 30 years to volunteering with Scouting, holding a variety of leadership roles, including County Commissioner for Staffordshire. He became an Ex Officio Trustee of Beaudesert Outdoor Adventures and has served as Chairman for the past 10 years.
In addition to Beaudesert, Jeremy holds several other trustee roles, including Chairman of the Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services and
Chairman of the Friends of Shenstone Church Tower, where he helped raise £500,000 to restore and open the historic 12th century bell tower to the public. Jeremy is also honoured to serve as a Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire.
Outside of his formal roles, Jeremy enjoys supporting his wife with Baby Bounce and Rhyme sessions at their local community library every Tuesday morning - everyone is welcome.
TONY HAGUE
Trustee
Tony has been a trustee at Beaudesert for just over 12 months. Married with two children and two granddaughters, Tony brings over 20 years of senior leadership experience as an MD and CEO, with a professional background in engineering, manufacturing, and automation industries.
Throughout his career, Tony has successfully scaled and grown organisations, with a strong focus on strategy development, commercial sustainability, and long term planning. Outside of work, his interests include keeping active at the gym, fishing, often in some far flung locations, and clay pigeon shooting.
Tony is currently a trustee of four charities and volunteers with two youth organisations. His motivation for joining the Beaudesert Board is rooted in raising awareness of our incredible facilities, championing the transformational experiences we offer young people, and helping to attract investment to secure Beaudesert’s future for generations to come.
WHAT’S NEW AT BEAUDESERT
Adventures Away from Home (AAfH) Beaudesert’s “Gateway to Adventure”
At Beaudesert Outdoor Adventures, we believe every young person deserves the opportunity to explore, challenge themselves, and connect with the natural world. We are therefore incredibly proud of our partnership with UK Youth and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) through the Adventures Away from Home fund.
This funding supports young people who face barriers to accessing adventurous residential and day experiences. Financial circumstances should never prevent a child from enjoying the outdoors, and this initiative has allowed us to bridge that gap for those who need it most.
A BRILLIANT ICEBREAKER WEEKEND
Last weekend’s Icebreaker event got the season off to a flying start, with 45 campers and 50-day visitors joining us on site. Participants enjoyed a packed programme of activities, and we were excited to introduce paintballing as a special addition for the weekend. The energy and enthusiasm from everyone involved made it a hugely memorable few days.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH EXPEDITIONS
After a successful open day, we’re pleased to offer the Beaudesert site for Duke of Edinburgh expeditions in a restricted space. While we’re unable to run our usual full expeditions, small, focused groups can take advantage of our varied terrain and experienced staff to support tailored expedition experiences.
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ELECTIVE HOME EDUCATION VISITS
We’ve recently welcomed our first elective home education group to Beaudesert, and it was a fantastic success. These dedicated activity days will now be running every two weeks, giving homeeducated young people the chance to get outdoors, try new challenges, and learn practical skills in a supportive, adventurous environment.
WILDERNESS 2026 LAUNCH
(October)
We’ll also be launching Wilderness 2026, our popular back-to-basics outdoor experience taking place in October. Expect campfires, survival skills and immersive outdoor adventure – more details coming soon.
FEBRUARY HALF TERM ACTIVITY DAYS
(16th–20th February)
Join us this February half term for a series of activity days open to the public. Perfect for young adventurers looking to make the most of the school break, these days will be filled with outdoor challenges, team activities and plenty of Beaudesert fun.
RAINBOWS & SQUIRRELS TAKEOVER DAY
(Sunday 29th March)
A special day designed just for our youngest sections. Rainbows and Squirrels will take over the site to enjoy a range of age-appropriate outdoor activities, games and adventures in a safe and exciting setting.
EASTER EGG HUNT & ACTIVITY DAY
(Easter Day)
Plans are already underway for a fun-filled Easter event for Scouts and Guides, featuring a site-wide Easter egg hunt alongside a full programme of adventurous activities.
BEAUDESERT HISTORY PROJECT
Following a successful year in 2025, the Beaudesert History Project Team is looking forward to another strong season of History Walks in 2026. From March through to October, monthly History Walks will once again welcome members of the public to explore the site. Each walk accommodates up to 30 participants and begins with a short introduction, followed by a guided walk around the ruins of Beaudesert Hall and the
ADVENTURES AWAY FROM HOME
Beaudesert secured winter funding to deliver fully subsidised experiences for disadvantaged young people from across Staffordshire, including:
80 Day Visit places
100 One Night Residential places
80 Two Night Residential places
We are currently delivering these experiences to a wide range of groups, including:
Scouts and Guides
Schools and Charities
Special Educational Needs Groups
Youth Groups
Girls’ and Boys’ Brigade Groups
For many participants, a visit to Beaudesert would not have been possible without this funding. Whether attending for a day or staying for two nights, these experiences offer young people a safe and supportive
environment to build confidence, resilience, teamwork, and independence.
The impact, particularly for SEN groups, has been incredibly positive, with overwhelmingly encouraging feedback from both leaders and young people:
AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BUILD THEIR CONFIDENCE, HOPE TO BE BACK AGAIN.
We are deeply grateful to UK Youth and DCMS for enabling Beaudesert to deliver these life changing opportunities. City United - Birmingham
LOOKING AHEAD
In 2025, around 300 participants took part in the History Walks, and we are hoping to welcome a similar number in 2026, alongside additional group bookings. While the walks generate a modest income for Beaudesert Trust, their primary purpose is to share the rich history of the site and build lasting connections with the wider community.
Alongside the walks, a programme of Beaudesert history talks continues to be delivered across the county through village halls, community centres, and local history groups. Approximately 300 people attended these talks in 2025, with bookings already confirmed for 2026.
We also aim to grow the History Project volunteer team in 2026.
TRUSTEE POSITION
Beaudesert Outdoor Activity Centre is looking to appoint an energetic individual to join our board of trustees. This role offers the opportunity to help shape, support, and deliver our strategy focused on the education sector.
Being a trustee is a deeply rewarding experience. You’ll work alongside likeminded people whose shared goal is to help our charity thrive. Our organisation delivers incredible experiences to young people, and seeing the impact of your work first-hand provides immense
A recent launch event attracted 14 potential new volunteers, and a structured programme is now under way to support research, resource development, and participation in the guided walks.
A major milestone has been the award of grant funding to install nine new information boards across the site, enabling visitors to enjoy self guided exploration of Beaudesert’s history. These boards are expected to be installed in spring 2026.
The History Project team is proud of what has been achieved so far and looks forward to expanding activities and engagement throughout the year ahead.
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personal satisfaction. Trustees typically meet monthly at the Beaudesert site for a few hours.
If you’re passionate about helping young people grow and want to make a lasting difference, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us at tony.hague@beaudesert.org.uk to find out more.
