Mountain centre's closure another 'devastating' blow to outdoors sector in North Wales
Bedford Borough Council has decided to end its lease at the site to cut costs. Blue Peris Mountain Centre has provided outdoor skills for generations of Bedfordshire youngsters for 50 years.
Its supporters slammed the decision as 'absolutely devastating', some calling it a 'disgrace'. The 60-bed centre is also a national training centre for Mountain Leaders.
Online, people lined up to condemn the move and the wider decline of outdoor education in North Wales. One man said the facilities push youngsters 'out of their comfort zone to discover who they are'.
'We still need adventurous young people and minds to lead the next generation,' he said. 'Great Britain was made what it is today through the Shackleton spirt.'
Another man recalled how urban children from England had their eyes opened when visiting Eryri National Park.
After witnessing a group of school pupils climbing a mountain, he said: 'I was emotionally moved, when several pupils didn't know what the animals on the mountain were - they were sheep!'
During the Covid pandemic, five of Wales' 44 outdoor education centres closed due to lockdown pressures. Recent years have brought a swathe of sell-offs as cash-strapped councils look for savings.
Earlier this month, Wirral Council collected £300,000 for the Oaklands Outdoor Education Centre between Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed, Conwy.
In March, Kent County Council received £370,000 for Kent Mountain Centre, a landmark Grade II-listed property next to Llyn Padarn, Llanberis.
At the start of this year, after seven decades providing trips for young people from Merseyside, the Colomendy outdoor education site, near Mold, Flintshire, was closed with immediate effect. Liverpool City Council has said it is looking for a new operator.
Even the Scouts are not immune from rising cost pressures. In August 2024, its 38-bed Old School Lodge hostel in Deiniolen was closed. Having catered for Scouts from Wallasey and West Wirral, the Gwynedd site went on the market this year for £525,000.
Blue Peris has offered rock climbing, kayaking and other activities to school children since its inception in 1975. It was founded by the late Colin Furneaux, former Bursar of Bedford Modern School.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, running costs were expected to rise by £50,000 to £185,000 next year, excluding costs for repairs.
Unless the decision is challenged by borough councillors, notice to close will be served to landowner Harpur Trust on August 1. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
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