Quality award for Castleshaw Centre

A DELPH activity centre that has played host to thousands of Oldham youngsters has won a Government award.

The Castleshaw Centre has won a Learning Outside the Classroom quality badge.

The awards scheme was set up to provide an easily recognisable national standard for all out of school venues where children go to learn.

This can range from museums and galleries up to centres such as Castleshaw where more technical and specialist knowledge is required to carry out the activities.

To receive the quality badge the centre had to submit a detailed application to the Adventure Activities Industry Advisory Committee before a rigorous inspection was completed.

Councillor Kay Knox, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “This is excellent news which shows that the quality of education and safety at Castleshaw has successfully met the highest national standards.

“All groups and schools that use Castleshaw can be confident that it is a highly professional establishment that offers an excellent range of learning and adventurous activities.”

Since it was first opened in 1895 by the Oldham Poor Children’s Holiday Association, the Castleshaw Centre has been providing opportunities for local youngsters to experience life in the Pennines.

Today the Centre offers a wide range of services to schools and youth groups including fully or partly led courses, residential and non-residential, fully catered, self catering or combination courses.

Courses in term time are all linked to the national curriculum and include environmental education courses covering geography, science, history and maths and outdoor activities with links to PE.