A ground-breaking outdoor classroom has been officially opened at Dolphin House Outdoor Education Centre.
The centre at Culzean, which promotes outdoor learning and activities, received £115,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The funding has been used to upgrade the centre and build an exciting open classroom which brings topics like sustainability, geology, and biodiversity to life.
The new classroom is the perfect setting to explore the benefits of sustainable energy and features an innovative renewable energy pack. The pack includes a solar panel, and a wind turbine linked to a monitoring board to help students learn about micro power generation.
In response to comments from schools and other users including community groups, the residential bunkhouse has also been improved.
Councillor Brian Connolly, Sport and Leisure Portfolio Holder for South Ayrshire Council said:
"I would like to thank the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for the funding and to everyone that has worked on the project. For over two decades Dolphin House has enabled people from different backgrounds to get closer to nature and take part in numerous activities. These changes ensure the centre is even more accessible and can run for another 20 years."
Councillor William Grant, Education Portfolio Holder said:
"Dolphin House is a fantastic facility. The new outdoors classroom looks amazing and is set to add another dimension to learning. It's important that education takes place beyond school walls, and I have no doubt that Dolphin House will continue to help transform the lives of young people and many others across the wider community."
Councillor Alec Clark, Tourism, Culture and Rural Affairs Portfolio Holder said:
"This project has been a real team effort with our Property Maintenance and Professional Design Services involved, along with our Ranger Service and Thriving Communities team. It was so important to ensure that users of the centre had their say on the changes, and I would like to thank everyone who gave us their feedback."
Faith Hillier, Community Officer for the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere said:
"We're so pleased to support Dolphin House with their important work providing opportunities for people to take part in outdoor and environmental education in the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere. The range of habitats within our UNESCO designation include mountains, lochs, forests, and miles of stunning coastline, and being able to get outdoors, explore and connect with nature in such beautiful areas accompanied by Dolphin House staff is a wonderful experience for young people. The new outdoor classroom is a fantastic new resource to support these efforts and one that will contribute to both understanding and wellbeing."