About Noah's Ark Children's Venture

Noah's Ark Children's Venture is based at Macaroni Wood set in 18 acres of woodland. We are a residential centre for disadvantaged children and young people.

Macaroni Wood was initially set up in London in the early 1970s with the idea of giving children a countryside break from their inner city lives on the council estates of Deptford. From these small beginnings – when we were only open for the school holiday periods and used tents to sleep in and had very basic cooking and washing facilities – we can now offer two well equipped, modern units that are open throughout the year.

We now have comfortable, warm, energy efficient, accommodation for up to 51 people. Bazley House sleeps 31 people and in 1996 we raised funds to build Castree House that was designed specifically for people with disabilities and sleeps 20.

The Centre has the use of 17 acres of woodland and we have many outdoor facilities that allow children and young people to play and explore safely. We have specialist play equipment for people with disabilities. Macaroni Wood allows children, young people and adults to experience new ideas and opportunities and can lead to them engaging in decision making and team leadership skills for the first time in their lives. The centre also supports children and young people to feel empowered and capable of achieving and acting differently on their return to inner city life.