(April 2011)
Approximately 240 people attended a public exhibition held by Kingswood, the leading provider of residential educational activity centres. The event was held on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 April at The Ivanhoe Centre, Conisbrough to provide details of the proposed outdoor educational facility to be located on the former Earth Centre site.
Those who attended the event were able to view an exhibition outlining Kingswood’s proposals for the site and were asked several questions to gauge their reaction to the proposals. Feedback was positive and 97% of those who responded welcomed Kingwood’s proposed investment in the area and the proposed re-use of the site as an educational facility. Kingswood has used the feedback collected at the public exhibition to inform its planning application for the site.
Subject to receiving the necessary consents, Kingswood’s multi-million pound investment programme will create a flagship residential activity centre on the site, which has been vacant since 2004. Kingswood plans to retain and refurbish the site’s existing buildings as well as build new accommodation units for visiting students and teachers with a view to opening its doors in spring 2012. The centre will also feature an 11,000 sq ft indoor activity and sports hall, classrooms for ICT, field studies facilities and meeting rooms. The centre will offer low height initiative exercises, a high adrenaline ropes park for team building activities and multiple options for evening entertainment for visiting groups including indoor and outdoor amphitheatres and performing arts facilities.
Paul Gilbert, Kingswood CEO said: “We are delighted by the support and enthusiasm for our proposal, which we see as a natural continuation of the site’s heritage as a centre for learning, with a focus on environmental sustainability. We will be investing ten million pounds in the project to recommission the existing buildings and add new accommodation units. When the centre is fully operational, we expect to employ up to 200 staff across a range of jobs from educational instruction through to IT support and catering.”
For more information visit www.kingswood.co.uk or call 01603 309300.
For media enquiries contact:
Debbie Hindle, Maitha Ahmed or Nina Derham, Four bgb on Nina.Derham@fourbgb.com / Maitha.Ahmed@fourbgb.com
Kingswood Educational Activity Centres currently offer a full range of programmes at eight British and one French centre for Key Stage 2 to A Level and Scottish P4-7 through to Highers & Advanced Highers students. The educationally rich courses are designed to complement current curricula exam criteria and provide a stimulating learning opportunity outside the classroom for maximum academic benefit.
Kingswood’s current UK centres include Dukeshouse Wood Centre in Northumberland, which was formerly operated by Gateshead Council; Peak Venture Centre in South Yorkshire, which was formerly operated by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council; Colomendy Centre in Wales, which was formerly operated by Liverpool City Council and Grosvenor Hall in Kent which opened in 2010 and was formerly a police-training academy.
Education Travel Group is the UK’s leading supplier of educational group tours, school ski and educationally rich residential centre breaks for schools. Education Travel Group brings together well-known brands such as Kingswood (www.kingswood.co.uk), STS School Travel (www.ststravel.co.uk), Ski Plan (www.skiplan.co.uk) and Equity Student Travel (www.equitystudenttravel.co.uk).