'Disastrous to close Arran Outdoor Education Centre' - volunteers
Centre faces being shut with council having to balance the books
Last updated 10th Feb 2023
Campaigners are urging North Ayrshire Council to rethink the possible closure of the Arran Outdoor Education Centre.
It's after a leaked document suggested the centre could be shut as the council looks to make cutbacks to plug a £10 million blackhole.
The venue has provided thousands of school children over the years with a taste of the outdoors and given them real life valuable experience.
Andrew Binnie, who volunteers for the Arran Seabed Trust, said it would be a short sighted decision: "It would be an absolute disaster.
"That's like 50 years of work and it would be very hard to put back in place. It would be a real short-term solution to a financial issue.
"It's a facility that actually does bring in money and that money is being brought into Ayrshire and Arran from other sources it is not recycled council money.
"It might be kids that don't do that well academically in school but thrive in an outdoor. environment where they are being challenged in different ways.
"It's great for their confidence and expands their horizons."
North Ayrshire Council, which will meet to set its budget on March 1, says no decisions have been taken yet but it's facing some tough decisions.
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