Civic Reception Held In Wales

Yesterday was a very good day for the City of Wolverhampton in Wales! Representatives of the City Council travelled to The Towers at Capel Curig, near Betws-y-Coed to meet local politicians from Conway County Borough Council and members of The Snowdonia National Park. Here the Mayor and Mayoress are welcomed by Phil and Carol Blain who run the centre.

Today the Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Phil Bateman MBE said " We held the first civic reception at The Towers our Outdoor Education Centre Capel Curig North Wales since it was opened more than 4 decades ago. The Towers was opened then by Sir John Hunt on the 12th April 1961, 45 years later we are hosting an important civic reception here, because we want to ensure that the Outdoor Education Centre remains central to providing valuable education and leisure activities for the children of the City of Wolverhampton.

We are very proud of our staff and the Centre, and we are today proudly showing off the service that the Centre gives to Wolverhampton Children. Today we have a school from Parkfields in Wolverhampton using the facilities.

Currently The Towers offers courses for Primary Schools,Secondary Schools,Special Education, Youth Groups,Teachers and Youth Leaders.

They also train and assess all levels of National Governing Body Awards.

Built in 1870 this impressive Tudor style building is situated on a magnificent site on the wooded Llugwy Valley in the Snowdonia National Park.

The Mayor added "it was very uplifting to see the well designed accommodation and the equipment that the centre has available. Not only for the able bodied but the real great facilities that they have for mobility impaired students. The unit that caters for the mobility impaired has en-suite facilities and takes six persons and their carers including wheel chairs. Wheel chair users also take part in all types of activity.The grounds have wheelchair access, with a climbing wall and abseil wall, and a zipwire site!

The Towers helped support and organise young people with severe learning difficulties on an expedition of a life time to Nepal. The team took the young people 16,000 feet upinto the Himalayas and rafted one of Nepal's wildest rivers,the Tamur!

I was very pleased to here how both The Snowdonia National Park and The Conway County Borough Council valued the contribution our Outdoor Education Centre made locally, both in the way it promoted the area, and the way it was viewed professionally. I want to pay my own tribute to Phil Blane who runs the centre for Wolverhampton with vision and enthusiasm, and his excellent staff who are amongst the very best that you can employ.

It is a very unique facility and only one of two such centres that is available for groups like this in the UK. We should be very proud of the staff and the vision that they have here."

The Mayor was very pleased to be able to host the reception and to welcome Councillor Mrs Linda Groom Chairman of Conway County Borough Council and other local Welsh Councillors.

Wolverhampton Cabinet Members Councillor Chris Irvine and Councillor Peter O'Neal, both attended along with Life Long Learning Director Roy Lockwood, and Chief Officers from The Snowdonia National Park.

The Outdoor Education Centre caters for walking,climbing, a variety of water sports and field studies. It has 10 staff that contribute to the local economy buying food and other commodities for the centre locally.