FSA National Conference 2024

27th – 29th September 2024

Danbury, Essex

 

The Conference Venue

This is our fourth visit to Danbury.  We had a great time last year and the venue has proved to be a popular one.   Danbury has a nice mixture of accommodation types to suit all needs and a fantastic team that made last year’s conference so special and allows for easy travel by public transport with minimal kit as well as travel by car with a bit more luxury.

For those of you who didn’t come last year, Danbury describes itself as a woodland haven in the heart of Essex. It is located on seventy acres of prime countryside. It is easy to find being just one mile from J.18 of the A12
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people at danbury 2022 finding their workshop providers in the Essex Sunshine

Conference Tickets and Accommodation

 

Conference Ticket type (per person) Catering Option FSA Member Non Member
Twin room in a cabin (2 sharing) Fully Catered  £                   260.00  £                   295.00
Cabin Dormitory Fully Catered  £                   235.00  £                   270.00
Camping Pods Fully Catered  £                   214.00  £                   249.00
Tent hire Fully Catered  £                   191.00  £                   226.00
Camping &catering Fully Catered  £                   165.00  £                   200.00
Off-site catered Fully Catered  £                   165.00  £                   200.00
Camper van Catered Fully Catered  £                   180.00  £                   215.00
Camping – Self-catering Self Catered  £                   119.00  £                   154.00
Off site Self Catered Self Catered  £                   119.00  £                   154.00
Camper van Self Catered Self Catered  £                   134.00  £                   169.00
Day Ticket Saturday (No Food Included) (#) Self Catered  £                   100.00  £                   135.00

 

Tickets and Accommodation

All tickets include access to the event, workshops, entertainment and activities for the booking period show on the tickets.  Catered tickets allow access to the dining hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Self Catered tickets are allowed access to refreshments but must provide their own food for the event.  FSA Members get a £35 discount, you can access the discount code here

Twin Room in a cabin

Each of Danbury’s cabins is equipped with separate more private twin rooms for those requiring extra privacy and space. These rooms must be booked for two people in a group booking (by adding a guest) so you can choose who you are sharing with. If you are booking these rooms and have two people eligible for a discount please contact us BEFORE booking at enquiries@forestschoolassociation.org

These rooms are often used by residential school leaders/teachers so will give you the best night’s sleep.  They allow access to the other facilities and have power and heating to keep you snug.  These tickets are a shared booking for two persons and are fully catered with access to meals and refreshments. Please be aware that these rooms contain bunk beds and may be an adventure for some but may not be suitable for everyone, please coordinate with your roommate before booking.

Delegates should bring their own blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags.

There are a maximum of 20 beds/10 rooms available for this ticket type

Log Cabin - Dormitory

Danbury has 10 recently renovated cabins that provide a great alternative to tented accommodation.

Each cabin has a wet room, porch, toilet and sink, heating and electricity. The toilet and shower block also has a unisex accessible shower/wet room, with shower chairs and toilet support/brace bars, and accessible toilets with support/brace bars.  These tickets are fully catered with access to meals and refreshments.  The cabins sleep between 8 and ten people so be prepared to share the space.  Accommodation is mixed so you may be sharing with members of another sex.  Cabin 6 is a male only cabin so delegates that present as male please book Cabin 6.  Please note that the twin room in each cabin may be used for mixed accommodation.

Delegates should bring their own blankets, pillows and sleeping bags.

A maximum of 90 beds available

Camping Pods

Danbury has 11 cosy camping pods, perfect for those looking for a camping experience with a little more comfort than being under canvas. Each has heating, power and sleep, 2, 3, 4 to 8 in bunk beds.  For our conference, unless you are specifically booking a group with more than four people wanting to stay together we advise 4 adults sharing per pod. Dedicated and accessible toilets and showers are in a separate block, adjacent to camping pods.  These tickets are fully catered with access to meals and refreshments. Accommodation is mixed so you may be sharing with members of another sex.  If you are booking a two or three-bedroom pod you will need to book for two or three people in one booking for your booking to be approved.

Delegates should bring their own blankets, pillows and sleeping bags.

There are a maximum of 63 beds available in this ticket type.  Pods numbered 1-7 have 8 beds in each, pod C has 3 beds and D has 4 pods. Beds are assigned as a first come first served basis so please coordinate with others you wish to share with before booking.

Tent Hire

 

These are ideal for delegates looking for a traditional camping experience. Are you worried about travelling on public transport with limited space in your kit bag?  Then this option is just for you. Danbury’s canvas patrol tents sleep. The camping area its own separate shower block and toilets.

This year rather than the large patrol tents provided in 2023, Danbury are providing 3 person tents and booking a tent hire ticket gives you sole access to this tent, unless you particularly want to share.

Delegates should bring their own blankets, insulating mats, pillows and sleeping bags.  These tickets are fully catered with access to meals and refreshments.  There are 15 tents available to hire.

Camping

Danbury has plenty of camping space for you to pitch your own tent.  No personal fires are allowed on site but Danbury do allow you to bring a small camping stove for that early morning cuppa in case you need a hot water bottle to keep you warm at night or to create your self-catered meals.

With a choice of self-catered or fully catered we hope to give you the options to suit your pocket.

We request that campers observe a curfew for music and noise of 23:00 hours, those who wish to make noise in the evenings please find a space away from other campers.

There are 200 spaces for camping

Camper Vans

Picture of va camper vanLast Year we got feedback that you would like some space to park and stay in your campervans.  So this year, we have secured a parking space for campervans on a school playground neighbouring our conference venue at Danbury.  This is not a full camper van set-up so there is no electricity hook up or waste disposal. You can use the toilet and shower facilities which are a few minutes walk away. We have space for 15 medium sized camper vans (VW T5/t6 sized) or smaller.  These tickets are for one delegate to attend the conference in their own van. With self-catered and fully catered options there is no need to worry where your food is coming from.

We have 15 spaces for Camper Vans this year.  Delegates staying in their own vans do not require Car Parking tickets

Staying off-site

We know that having space to decompress is important and if you live nearby the draw of your own comfy bed is difficult to ignore. This year we have a conference ticket that takes that into account.  So if you need to go home to feed the cat you are not missing out.

We have 20 spaces for people staying off site

Day Ticket

Last year some people struggled attending the whole weekend and so this year we have added a day ticket for Saturday 28th September 2024.  We have a limited number available as they count towards our maximum occupancy and stop others from being able to book full conference tickets.  Unfortunately, we are only able to offer this as a self catered option.  Please ensure that you only book workshops for the Saturday. 

We have 15 day tickets available for the event.

Car Parking

We have rented some space for offsite parking in a nearby field. Parking is limited to 170 spaces so please book as soon as you can and share transport with others as much as you can.

Car Parking and Campervans

 

The car park is just 400m from Danbury Centre, but it is over some uneven ground. You can book car parking tickets for a small charge at the same time as you book for the conference.  Bring your own trolley if you can, there are limited supplies of trolleys available on-site to move your kit to the accommodation.

We have campervan spaces on the local school grounds again so that people with campervans can be closer to the action, please see the accommodation section above for more information.  You cannot stay in Camper vans parked in the car park as this will void our agreement with the farmer.

Catering and Food

Food on a table with a couple of wooden spoons

Danbury Outdoors has a dedicated dining hall and permanent professional catering kitchens which will be providing the catering. Danbury Outdoor’s catering team will provide breakfast, lunch and dinner for conference delegates, and refreshments throughout the day.

They are happy and experienced in catering for many dietary requirements as specified by culture, religion and medical concerns. The catering team regularly provide meals for a wide variety of needs including vegetarian, vegan, coeliac, diabetic or food allergies. They can also provide a carb count, if required.

Danbury provides a nut-free environment for delegates and request you do not come with any products that contain nuts.

During checkout, you have the opportunity to email the conference team any dietary requirements you may have. This includes food allergies and intolerances, these will be passed to Danbury prior to arrival. Just make sure you let us know when booking if you have any dietary requirements. 

What else is happening at this year’s Conference?

 

We have a great mix of workshops lining up for you to keep you inspired and entertained during the weekend (watch this space for details).  Feedback from last year’s conference asked for less formal speakers but more chances for large discussions and connection, outside of the formal workshops spaces.  This year we are hoping to build on the stay, play and do skill share area, where you can go and try out a new skill or two, or offer to pass on a skill you have to others.

We are looking to build on last year’s marketplace village, so if you have products or services to sell you could opt for a stall there.  Don’t worry if you don’t have enough stock to fill a stall of your own, why not team up with a couple of friends and rent a space. We will have another of Matt’s quizzes, Saturday night dancing and lots of time to chat and meet friends or make new ones.

 

Conference Opportunities

Workshop Leaders wanted

Are you interested in offering a workshop at the FSA National Conference?  Can you inspire new generations of Forest School Leaders? Select the button below to find out more...

Event Sponsorship

Would you like to sponsor our Conference in 2024. Can you support Forest School all over the UK by helping us sustainably run our annual event?  Four packages to choose from with some great incentives...

Stallholders wanted

Do you have a service or product that our delegates would love but struggle to build a rapport virtually?  Get your product in front of 350 delegates from schools and businesses all over the UK....

Advertising

Would you like to place your product or service in front of our conference delegates in our conference brochure? With a choice of three sizes of advert, we have options to suit all products and budgets...

Comments from previous FSA conferences

All round loved it. Not been before and it exceeded my expectations.

2023 delegate

Enjoyed the workshops, hanging out around the marketplace and the opportunity to pay for mini workshops (willow weaving and shave horse flowers); the entertainment both evenings was great; food was fabulous and plentiful; staff and volunteers were all brilliant.

2023 delegate

I enjoyed every second. The speakers were inspiring, the workshops were wonderful, the entertainment was fantastic and the food was heavenly.

2023 delegate

What a great weekend, meeting Forest Schoolers and building on friendships from the last Conference. I learnt so many new ideas too, thanks FSA!”

Kate

As a Forest School Leader I feel energised in my practice, and proud to be part of such a visionary movement! Everyone I spoke to had an inspirational story to tell.

2023 delegate

A fantastic weekend. Lots of new friends made. Lots of lovely food. The weather was fantastic. Thank you FSA and FSA Essex. I definitely want to be there next year

2023 delegate

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