Berkshire Outdoor Education Trust

The Berkshire Outdoor Education Trust was founded in 1977/78. The original purpose of the Trust was to locate and operate an Outdoor Education Centre for the use of Berkshire school children. The Trust was started with the active encouragement and support of Berkshire County Council and its then Director of Education, Peter Edwards and the late John Wood Griffiths an officer in the Berkshire Education department. The Trustees raised and borrowed the money to buy an existing centre from Glamorgan County Council in the small settlement of Rhos y Gwaliau in the Snowdonia National Park, close to the market town of Bala. In the early years Berkshire County Council paid the teachers’ salaries and gave an annual grant towards the other teaching equipment that was needed, mainly protective clothing. The Trustees managed the centre, hired and paid the domestic and maintenance staff and settled all other expenses including food and heating costs out of the fees charged to attendees. With teachers’ salaries paid by the LEA the additional amount needed to be charged to pupils was quite modest. Over time, however, the level of subsidy given by the County Council was reduced and when in 1998 the 6 Unitary Councils replaced the County Council the subsidy was phased out completely. In consequence fees had to rise considerably. It was at this point that the Trustees decided to sell the centre to the present owner, who had been a teacher at the centre for some time previously. The trust then invested the proceeds of sale and now use the income to assist the most financially disadvantaged young people in the County enjoy the benefits and experience of time spent in outdoor educational activity.