Canopy & Campfires is a nature-based mentoring and wellbeing service for young people. We use purposeful outdoor activities to support personal development, alongside reflection and meaningful conversation.

Our programmes are built around three core areas: confidence, resilience and self-esteem. We provide individualised support in a woodland setting, creating space for young people to engage, explore, develop and build on their strengths.

Our programmes are for young people aged 11–18 who may benefit from individualised mentoring and wellbeing support outside conventional settings.

We work with young people for many different reasons, including anxiety, overwhelm, low confidence or self-esteem, difficulties with school or attendance, social or emotional needs, neurodivergence, SEND, challenging life circumstances or periods of transition. A diagnosis is not required. Referrals are considered individually, based on the young person and what they may need from the programme.

Every session is different, but there is usually a familiar rhythm. We might make a brew, prepare the camp, light a fire, cook, explore the woodland or river, use tools, build something, learn a new skill or simply spend some time talking and reflecting.

Activities are purposeful but flexible, and we adapt them around the individual young person, their interests and how they are feeling on the day. There is no pressure to constantly achieve or perform. Sometimes the most valuable part of a session can simply be having the time and space to talk, think, explore or just be.

All young people begin with a standalone programme, typically running for 6–8 weeks with one session each week. This provides a clear starting point and gives us time to build engagement, understand individual needs and see how the young person responds to the programme.

Where continued support would be beneficial, the programme can be extended for a further 6–8 weeks as a mid-length programme, or move into a longer-term, rolling programme where ongoing support is appropriate.

Sessions typically last two hours. The structure and duration of any continued support is discussed with the family or referrer and reviewed as the programme develops.

Sessions take place at our private woodland base in the Rochdale area. The site provides a varied outdoor environment including woodland, open spaces and access to the river, giving us plenty of opportunities for practical activities, exploration and reflection.

The site has established camp areas, toilets, clean running water and washing facilities. From this academic year, we’ll also be trialling the use of an indoor building on site for some sessions when weather conditions make outdoor working difficult.

Full location and arrival details are provided before a young person’s first session.

Referrals can come from schools, local authorities, social care and other professionals working with young people. Parents and carers can also contact us directly to discuss support.

Before a programme begins, we’ll gather some information about the young person, their needs and the reasons for referral. This helps us understand what support is being sought, whether Canopy & Campfires is a suitable fit, and how the programme can be shaped around the individual.

We’re always happy to have an initial conversation before a referral is made if you’re unsure whether our programmes would be suitable.

No. Canopy & Campfires is a nature-based mentoring and wellbeing service, not an alternative provision setting. Our programmes do not follow a curriculum or include academic teaching. The focus is on personal development and wellbeing through purposeful outdoor activity, reflection and meaningful conversation.

Our programmes can form part of a wider, holistic package of support for a young person and can be commissioned as complementary provision alongside education and other services. Depending on individual needs, Canopy & Campfires may be commissioned instead of, or alongside, other types of alternative provision.

Yes. We work with many autistic and ADHD young people, as well as young people with other forms of neurodivergence. A diagnosis is not required to access our programmes.

Where a diagnosis is present, it can help inform our understanding, but it does not define the young person or our expectations of them. We take time to understand each young person as an individual, including how they communicate, engage and respond to challenge, adapting our approach to their individual needs.

That’s absolutely fine. Young people don’t need to be outdoorsy, adventurous or have any previous experience to take part.

We introduce the setting and activities at a pace that works for the individual, without pressure to take part in anything they’re uncomfortable with. As familiarity grows, young people can choose to explore new activities and challenges in their own time.

The aim isn’t to turn anyone into an outdoor enthusiast. The woodland and activities are the setting and tools for the work we do, rather than an end in themselves.

We work outdoors throughout the year and sessions usually continue in rain, cold and other typical British weather. We have covered camp areas and can adapt activities, pace and plans to suit the conditions.

Sessions may be changed, postponed or cancelled where weather conditions present a safety concern, particularly during high winds, storms or extreme temperatures.

From this academic year, we’ll also be trialling some indoor sessions in our on-site building when conditions make outdoor working difficult.

Safeguarding and safe practice are central to how we work. Sessions are planned and delivered with appropriate risk assessments, procedures and supervision in place, while still giving young people opportunities to explore, develop practical skills and take part in appropriately managed challenge.

Our Lead Practitioner is a qualified Designated Safeguarding Lead and holds Outdoor First Aid certification. Activities involving tools, fire, cooking, water and the wider woodland environment are introduced and managed according to the young person, the activity and the conditions on the day.

We regularly review the site, weather and changing conditions, and adapt or stop activities where necessary.

Progress is observed throughout the programme, with particular attention to areas such as confidence, resilience, self-esteem, engagement, communication and the young person’s developing independence.

We keep structured session records to help us identify changes, emerging themes and patterns over time. At the end of a programme, referrers receive a written report outlining the young person’s engagement, progress and development, alongside any relevant observations or recommendations.

For longer-term programmes, progress can also be reviewed and reported at agreed points throughout the work.

Yes. Counselling is available as an optional addition to our core programmes where a young person may benefit from additional therapeutic support. It is not a requirement for taking part in Canopy & Campfires.

Our counselling programme combines nature-based mentoring with sessions involving a qualified counsellor, providing an opportunity for deeper therapeutic support alongside the practical, relational and reflective elements of our usual approach.

Whether counselling is appropriate is discussed with the family or referrer before it is incorporated into a programme.

We share a lot with the Forest School approach: getting young people outdoors, exploring, learning practical skills, taking on appropriate challenges and, importantly, having the space to simply be young people.

At Canopy & Campfires, those experiences are also used with a clear developmental purpose. We start with the individual young person, their needs and what we hope to help them develop. Activities and experiences are springboards for deeper work around confidence, resilience and self-esteem.

Being outdoors is an important part of what we do, but we don’t assume that simply spending time in nature, lighting a fire or completing a challenge will create change. It’s how those experiences are noticed, explored and built upon through mentoring that creates opportunities for deeper development.