Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 4

24 April 2003

Financial Support to Independent Outdoor Centres - 2003/04

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Stuart Nundy Ext: 5015

1. Summary

1.1 The following decision is sought:

That partnership funding totalling £90,331 be approved for the following independent Outdoor Centres in 2003/04.

Centre Amount

£

Avon Tyrell Outdoor Centre, Ringwood 5,253

Countryside Education Trust, Beaulieu 43,207

Privett Centre, Privett, near Petersfield 26,075

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Centre, Bursledon 12,082

British Red Cross 3,714

TOTAL 90,331

2. Reason

2.1 To support Outdoor Educational and Recreational provision in Hampshire.

3. Other options considered and rejected

Rejecting partnership funding applications

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 Item 4

24 April 2003

Financial Support to Independent Outdoor Centres - 2003/04

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 partnership funding for the year 2003/04 from four outdoor centres and one other establishment that are voluntary organisations and have charitable or trust status.

2. Background

2.1 The organisations under consideration all received grants from the Recreation and Heritage Department in 2002/03 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 £121,061 in 2001/02 was as follows:

£

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, Selborne 32,358

British Red Cross 3,620

2.2 In 2003 the Outdoor Activities Officer carried out a series of visits to these organisations, and reviews with their managers. In essence the visits revealed that each centre is largely unique in what they offer, and are providing services to the County Council that complement our own direct provision with little overlap between them. There is no direct competition between the partnership centres, with each offering a qualitatively different service to the others.

2.3 Each centre is working with significant numbers of Hampshire residents. In total, over 20,000 `days' of activities were provided by the centres in 2002/03.

2.4 Each centre has been made aware that the County Council wishes to work within a partnership arrangement, and that financial assistance from 2003/04 will be assessed in terms of the providers contribution towards the corporate objectives of the County Council. This approach is now reflected in the title of the support scheme, where the term `grant' is no longer seen as applicable.

2.5 Each centre is now fully aware of County Council corporate priorities, and will be seeking to address these as appropriate during 2003/04.

2.6 The 2003/04 partnership funding for the Gilbert White Field Studies Centre is not presented as part of this report. The first application forms (due back in February) did not apparently arrive at the centre, and new ones, sent in mid February, have not yet been returned. A separate report will be brought to the next decision day concerning this centre.

3. Applications for partnership funding in 2003/04

3.1 Avon Tyrell

3.1.1 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 year's grant was used to obtain new equipment for activities with Hampshire groups and to develop new wildlife areas and seating for work with young people.

3.1.2 This year the centre would like to obtain equipment for a nursery garden and to help fund activities during the summer holidays for young people from low income backgrounds. They are also engaged in a series of additional fund raising projects.

3.1.3 With regard to corporate objectives, Avon Tyrell works with a variety of groups from `hard to reach' backgrounds, including Hampshire Youth groups, local play schemes and a number of `young offenders' groups.

3.1.4 Last year the centre provided day sessions for 3,569 young people and 856 adults from Hampshire. Funding of £5,253 (including inflation at 2.6%) is recommended for 2003/04.

3.2 The Countryside Education Trust (CET)

3.2.1 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.

3.2.2 The trust is keen to expand it's work with hard to reach groups, and has begun to target schools and youth groups in many of Hampshire's more deprived locations in order to address aspects of our corporate strategy. To facilitate this they have applied for additional grant aid from a number of children's charities to enable them to reduce the direct cost to young people. The centre also works extensively with local community groups on the Waterside area of the New Forest, offering pre-school and other school clubs, evening activities for young people and a range of holiday and half term events for both adults and children.

3.2.3 In the past year 4,363 young people and 2,917 adults from Hampshire attended the centre. Funding of £43,207 (including inflation at 2.6%) is recommended for 2003/04.

3.3 The Privett Centre

3.3.1 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 grant was used to balance the revenue account.

3.3.2 The Management Committee state that this year's grant would be used to improve the facilities for students of all ages, especially those with special educational needs. In the past year 916 young people and adults from Hampshire attended days at the Centre. This was an increase of over 50% on the previous year's figures. It should be noted that the building is rented from the County Council at £9,500 per annum, plus building maintenance of £868

3.3.3 Following the development of a new business plan in early 2002, the centre has set itself a new strategic direction which, whilst still focused upon special schools and their youngsters, has also deliberately marketed the facility to many of the small schools and youth groups who need to work with particular types of youngsters in a `safe' and isolated environment. Consequently, the number of users has increased. In addition, the business plan saw a deliberate effort to raise further direct income by increasing the extremely low fees (£10 per group per night) to £100 per group per night (a group would be from 15 to 18 individuals). Whilst a 900% increase may seem rather large, it has not affected group usage, but has substantially increased centre income.

3.3.4 The centre also appointed a `manager' who has the job of promoting and developing the centre over the next 12 months.

3.3.5 A grant of £26,075 has been requested and is recommended for 2003/04. It is not recommended that inflation is added to this figure as the Centre Business Plan does not currently require this, and the centre has, each year, maintained a portion of the revenue grant as a capital fund.

3.4 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Activities Centre

3.4.1 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 grant was used last year to support the revenue account. The centre was attended by 4,692 disabled people from Hampshire for day sessions last year.

3.4.2 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 and, at the insistence of the County Council, developed a business plan to take the centre forward in a sustainable manner into 2002/03.

3.4.3 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, it is seen as operating effectively. An indication of this is that the Partnership Funding contribution to the overall centre budget will, this year, fall from 17.5% to 12.5%. The centre is also looking ahead to new capital developments utilising additional grants currently being considered by charitable bodies involved with disability access. However, officers will remain on the Executive Committee for the next year in order to monitor progress.

3.4.4 A grant of £12,082 (including inflation at 2.6%) is recommended for 2003/04.

3.5 British Red Cross, Hampshire Branch

3.5.1 With its headquarters in Winchester, the Hampshire Branch has over 10,000 volunteers active in the community delivering services to the vulnerable in crises. They used last year's 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. The new volunteers will include youth workers who are intended to go into schools and youth organisations in order to teach first aid. A grant of £3,714 (including 2.6% inflation) is recommended for 2003/04.

4. Summary

4.1 Total partnership funding across these centres for 2003/04 would be:

Centre Amount

£

Avon Tyrell Outdoor Centre, Ringwood 5,253

Countryside Education Trust, Beaulieu 43,207

Privett Centre, Privett, near Petersfield 26,075

Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Centre, Bursledon 12,082

British Red Cross 3,714

TOTAL 90,331

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:

Published works

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

TITLE LOCATION

Detailed grant application forms County Outdoor Activities

Service, Mottisfont Court