Outdoor centre saved from closure

The centre has secured three more years of funding

A popular outdoor education centre in Snowdonia has been saved from closure.

The Llanrug Outdoor Education Centre near Caernarfon will remain open after Worcestershire County Council cabinet reversed a decision to cut funding.

The plan was put on hold after being called in by the authority's scrutiny committee. The centre has now been granted funding for three more years.

The decision to axe the centre led to protests from parents, teachers and children in Worcestershire and Gwynedd.

Campaigners trying to save the centre said in October they were "optimistic" for its future after the closure plans were put on hold.

Leader of the council Councillor George Lord said: "The cabinet has responded to the scrutiny work that has been done and it has changed its mind. We are listening," he said.

Plans to close the centre were approved by the Worcestershire council in July, stating that the authority faced "difficult choices" to save £25m from its budget over three years.

The council spends £600,000 a year funding three outdoor education centres, including the facility at Llanrug, which employs 15 staff.