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Sept
New £3.2 million accommodation block unveiled at Bewerley Park
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A multi-million-pound accommodation block at an outdoor learning centre near Pateley Bridge was unveiled today (September 10).
Work to create the 84-bed block at Bewerley Park started around a year ago and was officially opened at an event this afternoon.
Bewerley Park opened in the 1940s and has since welcomed thousands of schoolchildren, who can enjoy a range of outdoor activities such as canoeing, caving, paddle boarding and high ropes.
The existing accommodation blocks - created long before the new development - are still available for children and teachers. The new accommodation will welcome groups from next week.
The project, which cost £3.2 million, is part of a wider investment into North Yorkshire Council-owned outdoor education sites. Work to redevelop the East Barnby site is yet to start but the combined cost will total £4.2 million.
The ensuite bedrooms at Bewerley Park each sleep six children, with separate ensuite rooms for teachers.
The accessible bedroom includes an adjustable bed and an ensuite bathroom in which the height of the sink can be changed. A hoist has also been installed to help children with additional needs.
Each bedroom sleeps six children. There are separate bedrooms for teachers.
The accessible bathroom.
When the Stray Ferret visited today, some of the bedrooms had been neatly prepared for the event, but a Bewerley Park staff member said the beds are not made-up when children arrive. Instead, they are encouraged to make their own beds.
The block is powered by solar panels and air source heat pumps, and also features a drying room with underfloor heating and two break-out rooms.
Sir Stuart Carlton, the council's departing corporate director for children and young people’s services, said he was pleased with the finished product.
He told the Stray Ferret:
It’s lovely to see this stage completed because this is one of the first places I came when I started. I was like: ‘oh my goodness, look’. Then I came during covid when we were worried about its future and worried about whether it would still be used.
But it’s been great working with the council and developing plans and investing in its future. To finish in a couple of weeks and seeing this completed and then it being used by young people next Monday is lovely.
The council faces a £4.9 million shortfall in 2025/26 and has warned the figure could rise to £34.4 million by 2027/28.
Sir Stuart said:
This centre doesn’t use council resources, it’s an income-generated thing. It’s been at least 20 years since the public put money into this service, so the capital investment will be returned. We see this as a return on investment and a good thing to do for the future.
It doesn’t have a budget, it relies on income from visitors and it pays for itself. It felt the right thing to do to say: ‘we can invest some money, there will be a pay-back and it leaves a legacy for children in the future'.
A teachers' bedroom.
'It's just wonderful'
Margaret Mosley, 85, who spent more than three weeks at Bewerley Park in 1954, was particularly impressed by the development.
The daughter of a miner, Margaret went to school near Doncaster at the time but said she enjoyed the open air and rolling hills of Nidderdale during her visit.
Margaret, who was also celebrating her 65th wedding anniversary today, told the Stray Ferret:
It’s lovely to come and have a look. [The accommodation] is marvellous; I can’t imagine showers like that and your own ensuite! The beds are so lovely.
It’s a learning curve; you pick so much up [at Bewerley Park] and it’s just different. The clean air, you can wander about and you’re not restricted. It’s just wonderful… it would be nice if more people could enjoy it.
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