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Somerset County Council’s Outdoor Centres – Online virtual tours and booking

Vital children’s activity service launches brand new digital front door

Somerset County Council’s Outdoor Centres (SSE Outdoors) provide memorable experiences to thousands of young people every year.

Now, thanks to an engaging new website booking them is just a click away.

Over 14,000 young people visit the four centres each year and even throughout the Covid-19 crisis Support Services for Education (SSE) Outdoors has continued to run holiday day camps giving vulnerable children and young people the chance to enjoy safe outdoor activities.

The new website – www.sseoutdoors.co.uk  – created by Somerset County Council’s Web Team offers a vivid insight into what the service offers with stunning images and video, and a new digital booking service means activities and holidays can now be booked simply and easily online.

“Our centres, run by SSE Outdoors, provide such rich and valuable experiences for so many children and young people from across Somerset and beyond, including me a few decades ago” said Cllr Faye Purbrick, Somerset County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education.

“During the Covid crisis the team and centres have been a lifeline for so many vulnerable young people and some who are at risk of becoming involved in criminality. The new site is a fitting shop window for the great range of activities and holidays available.”

SSE Outdoors Service Manager, Daniel Moncrieff added: “The new website, created in-house, showcases the work of the team wonderfully and makes it really easy for schools and organisations to book activities and holidays by cutting out the need for phone calls and paperwork.

“That’s really important as it saves time for teachers and social workers who are supporting young people.”

A new lake is under construction at Kilve Court in West Somerset, which will add water sports to the wide list of current activities that include abseiling, climbing, cycling, caving, camping, hiking and canoeing.

SSE Outdoors is also pleased to be involved in the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme to support disadvantaged children in staying healthy and active.

As well as Kilve Court there are three other centres – The Outdoor Centre at Kilve, The Great Wood Centre, set in the Quantocks, and the Charterhouse Centre in the Mendips, near Cheddar Gorge.

  • The centres put on 7,600  activity sessions for young people over the current crisis.
  • The team has worked with the Council by making freezable meals for people across Somerset, totalling over 2,100 Christmas meals and over 4,500 evening meals.
  • SSE Outdoors is preparing for schools residentials to start taking place after Easter, following on from a recent Government announcement.