04 Oct 2020

UK Outdoors, an umbrella organisation representing UK outdoor education and activity providers, has lobbied the UK government to save the sector and up to 6,000 jobs that are under threat.

The UK Outdoors group includes bodies such as The Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres (AHOEC), the Institute for Outdoor Learning, the British Activity Providers Association, and the Outdoor Council.

At the same time PGL have announced that they have made 25% of their workforce redundant as the impact of the pandemic keeps hundreds of UK activity centres closed for business.

Schools have re-opened fully since September but government guidelines still prohibit school trips that involve ann overnight stay. While some activity centres have increased their offering for schools making day trips, a number of centres are reliant on residential groups, particularly those centres located in more remote parts of the countryside.

UK Outdoors have written a letter to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating that "We cannot warn the government in strong enough terms that any decision to prevent residential trips for the rest of the academic year, without support, will permanently close the whole sector."

PGL Chief Executive Anthony Jones states that "97% of our business relies on overnight accommodation... without overnight accommodation, the sector is effectively shut."

Souce: BBC News

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