Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 9

18 July 2002

Financial Support to Independent Outdoor Centres - 2002/03

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Stuart Nundy Ext: 5015

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That grants totalling £121,061 be approved for the following independent Outdoor Centres in 2002/03.

Centre Amount

£

Avon Tyrell Outdoor Centre, Ringwood 5,120

Countryside Education Trust, Beaulieu 42,112

Privett Centre, Privett, near Petersfield 26,075

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Centre, Bursledon 11,776

Gilbert White Field Studies Centre, Selbourne 32,358

British Red Cross 3,620

TOTAL 121,061

2. Reason

2.1 To support Outdoor Educational and Recreational provision in Hampshire.

3. Other options considered and rejected

- making no grants.

- making above inflation grants over the 2001/02 allocation.

4. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or a member or officer consulted - None

5. Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: (signature) Date: (date of decision)

Councillor J. Waddington

Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage

18 July 2002

Financial Support to Independent Outdoor Centres - 2002/03

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Stuart Nundy Ext: 5015

1. Purpose

1.1 The purpose of this report is to consider applications for financial assistance for the year 2002/03 from four outdoor centres and two other establishments that are voluntary organisations and have charitable or trust status.

2. Background

2.1 The organisations under consideration all received grants from the Sport and Community Panel in 2001/02 to assist them with their essential revenue costs. This support enabled them to deliver programmes to young people and adults resident in Hampshire. Support totalling £123,435 in 2001/02 was as follows:

£

i) Avon Tyrell Centre, nr. Ringwood. 5,000

ii) Countryside Education Trust, Beaulieu. 41,125

iii) Privett Centre, nr. West Meon 26,075

iv) Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Activities

Centre, Bursledon 11,500

v) Gilbert White House and Study Centre, Selbourne 31,600

vi) British Red Cross 3,535

vii) Southern Science and Technology Forum 4,600

2.2 Members agreed not to add inflation in 2001/02 because of the impact of the Foot and Mouth outbreak on the Outdoor Service as a whole. There is an opportunity to add 2.4% to grants this year to reflect the impact of inflation.

3. Applications for financial support in 2002/03

3.1 All organisations have applied for support in 2002/03 except the Southern Science and Technology Forum who have indicated that they are no longer maintaining the project.

4. Avon Tyrell

4.1 Avon Tyrell is the National Activity and Residential Centre for Youth Clubs UK, an organisation that provides outdoor education and environmental opportunities for school students and adults across Hampshire. The application is based on the needs of their environmental centre. Last years grant was used to construct and develop a wildlife pond and garden, incorporating sensory experiences, and two portable computers for use by groups.

4.2 This year the centre would like to build a wheelchair access boardwalk across a

lakeside marsh to enable greater access for disabled students, and to assist the funding of badly needed alterations to a study building to extend available classroom space. They are also engaged in a series of additional fund raising projects.

4.3 Last year the centre provided day sessions for 3,879 young people and 839 adults from Hampshire. A grant of £5,120 (including inflation at 2.4%) is recommended for 2002/03.

5. The Countryside Education Trust (CET)

5.1 CET at Beaulieu offers environmental education and access to the countryside for students and adults from Hampshire. It operates the CET Study Centre in Hartford Wood, and the residential Out of Town Centre in Beaulieu. The grant has been used previously to support the salaries of the education officers and Trust administrator.

5.2 CET is making strides to achieve `Eco-Centre' status, having recently installed solar heating, energy efficient lighting and waste recycling facilities. In addition, the Trust is continuing the development of the farm and woodland sites, and has developed a thriving community education programme.

5.3 In the past year 4,400 young people and 2,596 adults from Hampshire attended the centre. A grant of £42,112 (including inflation at 2.4%) is recommended for 2002/03.

6. The Privett Centre

6.1 The centre, situated in the Meon Valley, is a self catering residential establishment based in a disused primary school listed building. The Privett Centre Trust is a registered charity. It targets young people with special needs especially from the Basingstoke area. Its aims are to advance education by providing students with a secure base and facilities to learn outside their `normal' learning environment. The Panel's grant was used to balance the revenue account.

6.2 The Management Committee state that this years grant would be used to improve the facilities for students of all ages, especially those with special educational needs. In the past year 605 young people and adults from Hampshire attended days at the Centre. It should be noted that the building is rented from the County Council at £9,500 per annum, plus building maintenance of £868.

6.3 Following a user survey, there had been discussion amongst Trust Members about the best way to maximise educational use of the centre, and this was intended to lead to a business plan which would clearly define the role of the Centre and the groups at which it should be marketed.

6.4 Members requested in October 2000 that we should have a presence on the working group, and the Outdoor Activities Officer is now in that position to monitor progress. Over the past 12 months the Trust have appointed a Business manager who has developed a robust business plan that began in April 2002. The strategy for the centre is to focus on a niche market identified amongst special schools, small academic groups (eg; `A' level study groups) and smaller infant and primary schools.

6.5 A marketing strategy was implemented in May 2002 and is already having significant success. However, a successful outcome for the business plan will only be revealed after its first 12 months. Officers continue to engage with the Trust and will maintain a watching brief on the business plan as it develops.

6.6 A grant of £26,075 has been requested and is recommended for 2002/03. It is not recommended that inflation is added to this figure as the Centre Business Plan does not require this, and the centre has, each year, maintained a portion of the revenue grant as a capital fund. This fund currently stands at £56,000.

7. Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Activities Centre

7.1 The centre, situated within the County Council's Manor Farm Country Park at Bursledon, aims to provide challenging and motivating outdoor educational and recreational activities for people of all ages with disabilities. The Panel's grant was used last year to support the revenue account. The centre was attended by 4,500 disabled people from Hampshire for day sessions last year.

7.2 It should be noted that immediately before Christmas 2000 it came to the attention of the senior members of the Centre's Executive Committee, that the establishment was in a very serious financial position, with an estimated trading deficit up to March 2001 of £21,577. As a consequence, the Executive embarked upon a fundraising operation which to date has raised over £33,500, including a contribution from the Community Development and Conservation sub-committee of £5,000.

7.3 The Centre is now in a financially secure position in the short term. The Executive embarked upon the development of a Business Plan which aimed at resolving the long term future of the Centre. That plan is now in place. The centre has not had a repetition of the financial concerns of 2000/01 and, although finance is tight, is seen as operating effectively. However, officers will remain on the Executive Committee for the next year in order to monitor progress.

7.4 A grant of £11,776 (including inflation at 2.4%) is recommended for 2002/03.

8. Gilbert White's House and Oates Museum, Selborne

8.1 This establishment provides a Field Studies education service for the young people of Hampshire. The unit is a `day use' centre and integrates it's work with the National Curriculum. The trust maintains the museum and house with material relating to Gilbert White and Frank and Lawrence Oates.

8.2 The trust has completed a major expansion to the Field Studies provision, converting a Tithe Barn into classroom and lecture space, extending the number of both children and adults able to use the facility. Any grant would be used to directly maintain the education service. In the past year a total of 2,859 young people from Hampshire attended for day field study work, an increase of nearly 450 over the year 1999/00. A grant of £32,358 (including inflation at 2.4 %) is recommended for 2002/03.

9. British Red Cross, Hampshire Branch

9.1 With its headquarters in Winchester, the Hampshire Branch has over 4,000 volunteers, about 2,000 of whom are active in the community delivering services to the vulnerable in crises. They used last years grant to purchase much needed equipment including a specialist manikin for use in training the teaching of choking casualties, and visual aid equipment. For this year they intend to recruit and train more volunteers, and require additional equipment and materials for a training resource library. For the past three years the Branch has run a schools project, funded by the National Lottery Charities Board, and has delivered training to over 50,000 young people. A grant of £3,620 (including 2.4%inflation) is recommended for 2002/03.

Recommendation

That approval is given to the above grant recommendations.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE LOCATION

Detailed grant application forms County Outdoor Activities

Service, Mottisfont Court