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Hope at the Oaks provides your family with exactly the support that it needs

Hope at the Oaks is a family-run local charity setup to provide meaningful support for families. Our heart is to see families restored, healthy and thriving. We have a number of supports we can offer to both parents and children. This can range from a chat over a cuppa to a week-long family holiday and anything in between. See our activities page for more details!

"The Oaks is fully equipped with warm friendly faces, buckets of joy, and indescribable peace"
- Natasha

Activities:  What we can provide

Parents and carers play an indispensable role in providing support to children who have a range of additional support needs (ASN). Adults and children alike can require high levels of care and the demands of caregiving can be physically and emotionally exhausting and have major impact on family resilience. Respite and short breaks for families are essential to ensure long-term mental health and to create resilient families.

What happens next?

The Oaks is a calm, creative house-and-garden space which aims to provide respite and short breaks for families. Guests will engage in recreational pursuits which increase wellbeing along with specialist therapeutic input to enhance and maintain mental health.

The Oaks gives an opportunity to recharge, be creative, have adventures and experience short stays in a supportive and nurturing environment. These can be different lengths from a few hours to a few days and are focused on activities such as Forest School, art activities, gardening and outdoor pursuits that can provide a supportive framework to rebuild family relationships and restore wellbeing. Each short break will be designed for the individual family, to meet their unique needs.

Qualified

Our staff are qualified and trained in proven therapeutic methods including:

  • VIG (Video) Intervention
  • Theraplay©
  • Forest Schooling
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Meaningful Skills

  • Therapeutic Art
  • Baking
  • Spiritual Direction
  • Gardening
Outdoors

The Oaks' 1-acre walled garden is the perfect therapeutic outdoor space to relax and reset, get creative or learn gardening skills.

Active

Our outdoor activity enthusiasts have designed a range of local activity days out including:

  • biking
  • hiking
  • kayaking
  • wild swimming
  • camping
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Activities at the Oaks

Hope at the Oaks always assess what your family needs when planning meaningful and fun activities.

Read more about what we do
Natasha and Joseph
Natasha

Founder

Natasha is an educational psychologist currently working part time for Aberdeenshire Council alongside many other roles (Forest School Leader / Spiritual Director / Pastoral Support / Youth Leader)

Meet the Team


Natasha and Buzz are full-time foster carers and have looked after many different children - permanently and temporarily  for over 15 years.  We have between us over 50 years combined experience of working with people with a variety of needs including autism (ASC), ADHD, FASD and many other mental health issues.

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Buzz
Buzz

Founder

Buzz is an outreach support worker for adults with additional support needs, such as ASC and physical disabilities.

Gallery

A few photos to explore the interior of our therapeutic space
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