£2million Funding for Residential Outdoor Centres

The Scottish government has announced a £2million support package for residential outdoor centres impacted by closure during the Covid-19 lockdown.

We reported in September that many centres feared permanent closure, due to a combined loss of income and lack of financial support during forced closures due to the Covid-19 lockdown. In a letter to John Swinney the National Network for Outdoor Learning (NNOL) asked for support to help centres get though this difficult time whilst continuing to engage with schools at a time when teachers are being asked to increase outdoor learning provision as part of the Covid-19 recovery plan.

What can the fund support?

The funding is available in two rounds with round 1 open now and will support centres to manage financial losses until June 2021.  Round 1 closes on 11th Dec 2020. 

Round 2 focuses on supporting delivery of outdoor learning to schools and other education settings and will open on 11th Jan 2021, closing on 5th Feb 2021

Who is eligible?

The fund is open to centres that:

• Are located in Scotland;
• Operate in the third sector or private sector;
• Routinely provided curricular relevant residential outdoor education opportunities for young people aged 3 – 18 from education settings before March 2020; 
• Can demonstrate a negative financial impact due to a lack of residential activity since the emergence of the current pandemic. 

Full guidance on the funding and how to apply can be found here.