An Easter woodland event planned for migrants has been scrapped after a local backlash. Holiday retreat, Wilderness Wood, in Hadlow Down, East Sussex, had planned to welcome asylum seekers for the day to help them settle into the UK.

The venue, which includes a forest school and campsite, is five and a half miles south of Crowborough, which has been the focus of angry protests after migrants were moved into nearby military barracks by the Government. A visit to the woodland to help the migrants adjust to life in Britain reportedly formed part of the event on Wednesday (April 1).

Amid already raised tensions, some locals voiced opposition to the event, which reportedly led owners Dan Morrish and Emily Charkin to cancel it.

Jim Smith, 59, told the Daily Mail he knew the owners “quite well” and was “shocked” they had considered migrants visiting the venue.

He said: “Now they have said they won’t do it, but it was only after there was quite a violent backlash. People are very upset about it.”

The Facebook group, Migrants on the Move, in a post on its account published on Tuesday said members would visit Wilderness Woods for a “peaceful and respectful gathering” as it opposed the event.

Migrants on the Move’s post included a poster entitled “Community Safety Notice, Safeguard our Children”. It said members of the group would visit Wilderness Wood because the venue is frequented by children and families.

In a post on its Facebook page, Wilderness Wood said it dropped plans to host a small group of asylum seekers for a visit to the woods. It also said the venue is not housing asylum seekers and has no plans to do so.

An admin of the Hadlow Down Facebook group described claims migrants being housed at Wilderness Wood as social media-fuelled nonsense.

Migrants on the Move posted on Wednesday that members visited Wilderness Wood and after “talking” to the owners they were told the workshops would not go ahead.

The group described the apparent cancellation as a “huge success for the community”.

Wilderness Wood has been approached for comment.