Youth outdoor education charity The Outward Bound Trust has broken ground on a new 10 classroom ‘learning village’ at its centre at Loch Eil.
Due for completion in early 2025, the million pound village will consist of five new buildings around a central outdoor seating area and seeks to give the centre’s users, who are aged 11 to 19, a space to reflect on how outdoor activities relate to real life.
The new Lochaber site follows a similar development at an Outward Bound centre in Ullswater in England’s Lake District.
A spokesperson for the trust said that developing a learning village at Loch Eil was necessary to ensure the centre’s facilities were modern and growing.
Plans had been discussed "three or four years ago", the spokesperson said, but Covid had put development "back to square one".
Each year approximately 5500 young people visit the Loch Eil centre to participate in residential programmes that aim to teach tangible outdoor skills to benefit young people’s confidence, teamwork, communication, and
leadership.
Programme activities include overnight expeditions, canoeing, rock climbing and hiking.
Commenting on the new learning village, David Exeter, head of centre at Outward Bound Loch Eil, said: “Outward Bound is a movement, so we are continuously maintaining and improving the experience we offer here at Loch Eil.
“By investing in the development of our learning village we can be even more confident in the impact we have on young people, giving them a comfortable and inviting space that allows them to reflect on all of the joy,
self-discovery, new connections and lasting memories they have made out in the wild.”
Design of the new Loch Eil learning village is being overseen by Kearney Donald Partnership, with construction undertaken by Corrigan Contractors and project management from Samuel & Partners.
The development has been funded through charitable donations. Anyone wishing to further donate can do so via the Outward Bound website www.outwardbound.org.uk/donate
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