Centres closure plan criticised

Abseiling is one activity offered at the centres

An MP has criticised a proposal that could see the closure of two outdoor education centres in Worcestershire.

Mike Foster, Labour MP for Worcester, said the county council should postpone the cost-cutting plans.

He said the Malvern and Llanrug centres could be the only place some children get to experience outdoor activities like canoeing and rock climbing.

A county council spokeswoman said the centres would need commercial fees to remain viable.

Mr Foster said the need for centres such as Malvern and Llanrug was highlighted by the government's Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto, which was launched on Tuesday.

'Postpone plans'

It says that outdoor activities offered should be included in Ofsted school reports.

Mr Foster said: "The county seem hell bent in going the opposite way to everyone else on this issue.

"The best thing they could do - at little or no cost - is to postpone all plans to close the two centres, and start talking to local schools about how to provide for more outdoor education not less."

He said he did not believe the council when it said the centres were too expensive to fund.

'Commercial fees'

"These outdoor centres offer what might be the only supervised outdoor activity that challenges and develops children from our local community."

Councillor Liz Eyre, cabinet member for children at the council, welcomed the government's call for more outdoor learning and the support packages being offered under the plan.

"It would be nice to think that some of the schools' extra funding will widen the range of young people that can access out of class learning and support the commercial fees that our own outdoor centres would need to charge to be viable."

She said the centres were drawing up business plans to remain open without council funding and schools had been contacted to judge the potential take up at the centres in a commercial environment.