News
Low bank ground opens its doors to european teachers
Short breaks 2010
- ‘Watersports Weekend with Bill Taylor’ — 7th - 9th May 2010
- Bushcraft and Canoe Weekend, Low Bank Ground OEC, Coniston - 7th-9th May 2010
- Family holidays at Lowbank Ground Coniston - 2nd -6th August 2010
A wonderful experience the children will never forget
(January 2010)
Both Low Bank Ground and Hinning House were open to visiting schools this week. The sunshine and snow on the mountains provided an amazing setting for children from Orrell Holgate and Ince St. Mary’s schools. The comments at the end of the week were the same from both schools, “this was a wonderful experience the children will never forget”. Centre and school staff worked well together to provide the children with a range of safe and enjoyable outdoor activities without travelling far from the Centres. They were very special weeks at the Centres with clear starry nights and beautiful sunrises over snowy mountains.
Low bank ground opens its doors to european teachers
Ten senior educators including head-teachers, teacher trainers and university lecturers from across Europe made a 5 day Study Visit to Low Bank Ground, Wigan Council’s Outdoor Education Centre in the Lake District this October. The theme was “Creative and Inspiring Learning Outside the Classroom” and delegates came from Belgium, Spain, Italy, Austria, Poland, Latvia, Rumania, the Czech Republic and Turkey.
Head of Centre, Geoff Cooper pointed out that “there are great opportunities in the outdoors for developing personal and social skills, learning about the environment and sustainability and encouraging creativity. For some young people who don’t do well at school the outdoors can provide a new lease of life and unlock talents such as leadership and teamwork. Outdoor learning is a great motivator and young people gain a real sense of achievement which improves their learning back at school”.
During their stay the group had presentations on Wigan’s outdoor education service, discussed the value of outdoor learning, compared experiences in their own countries, met teachers and outdoor leaders and saw examples of good practice. They visited Brantwood, the historic home of John Ruskin the artist and social reformer to experience educational activities based on the house and gardens. At Grizedale Forest they discussed schools programmes related to art, field studies and practical conservation. They also took part in a new project organised by Cumbria Development Education Centre on how the outdoors can be used to develop global awareness and more sustainable lifestyles.
One of the group commented “this has been a wonderful week; we’ve learnt from each other and seen at first hand by talking to children at Low Bank Ground how outdoor learning can inspire them. Britain has such a wealth of good practice in this field.”
This was the first Study Visit on this theme in Britain and was funded by the European Union as part of their Lifelong Learning Programme.
Senior Managers at Low Bank Ground.
27 managers from Wigan Council’s Children and Young People’s Services spent two days on team building activities at Low Bank Ground in September. The programme included a series of outdoor problem solving exercises leading into a team raft building session. For many it was their first visit to the Centre and they commented on the friendly atmosphere, magnificent scenery and superb food.
Adventurous Activities Licence.
Both Centres were inspected in July and their licences renewed for a further two years until August 2011.