Outdoor education hub Blue and White Peris is to close by October amid budget pressures and lack of uptake.

Bedford Borough Council has decided to terminate its lease on the Blue and White Peris Mountain Centre in North Wales. It will bring to an end nearly 50 years of outdoor education at the site for Bedfordshire schoolchildren.

The decision, signed off by mayor Tom Wootton on July 23, will see the council serve notice to the Harpur Trust, the landowner, and close the outdoor activity centre service by October 2025.

Located near the village of Dinorwig on the edge of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, the site has offered adventurous residential experiences to school groups and youth organisations since its inception by the former Bedfordshire County Council in 1975.

placeholder image — Blue and White Peris: Google Image LDRS

The council cited the need to implement recommendations from its new Sport and Leisure Strategy (2024–2034) and meet savings targets in the 2025/26 revenue budget. The centre’s operating cost was £135,000 in 2024/25 and is projected to rise to £185,000 next year, excluding major repair liabilities.

Only one-third of the centre’s bookings are from Bedford borough-based groups, with the rest coming from elsewhere.

Council officers said that Bedford schools now have access to similar outdoor learning facilities closer to home.

The facilities, held on a 99-year lease from the Harpur Trust at a nominal rent of £1 per year, includes accommodation for 73 people and is currently run by leisure contractor Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL).

The council cannot assign the lease to another operator, and discussions with GLL and others concluded the site would not be viable to run independently.

The council will be entitled to 27 per cent of any net proceeds if the Harpur Trust sells the site, though officers warned this share could be “negligible” after dilapidation costs are considered.

Twenty-five school bookings are currently scheduled for 2025, but just five of those are from Bedford Borough schools. GLL will cancel bookings and handle any staff redundancies, with costs met by the council.

The decision can be implemented on August 1, 2025, if it isn’t called in for a debate by borough councillors.

Bedford Borough Council and the Conservative administration were contacted for a comment, but were unable to respond by the time of publication.