Take a trip down memory lane at Everdon Outdoor Learning Centre as historical building celebrates 50 years of school trips

A residential centre marks its half-century with two open days in May and a book launch on the building's history.

Everdon Outdoor Learning Centre in Everdon, near Daventry, offers day trips and overnight stays for people, community groups, and children. It also provides adult education and a venue for community events.

For the last four years, one of the centre’s rangers has been working on a book on the location, which will be available for sale at the venue during the event.

Tanya Askew, the centre’s education ranger and creator of the book, said: “You just come towards this beautiful, tranquil place surrounded by hills and woodland. It is really a place where time stops.

“People love it so much. It is like a total oasis away from everything. That’s really why I did the book.”

The building has been a part of the community for 146 years and was constructed in 1877.

When it first opened as a Victorian school in 1877, it is belived that Mr Fogell, the headmaster, resided there with his family.

Tanya, a former teacher, joined the centre in September 2016. Her book research started with the school logbook found by the team after the centre had “a big sort out” during Covid and some of the original headmaster's photographs were discovered.

Although Tanya said the logbook contained no information on the location between 1877 and 1911, she met with residents in the nearby villages in an effort to track down as many of the school's students as possible and gather their stories for the book.

Tanya said: “And then there were four years, 1970 to 1974, when nothing happened. Just silence here. No children’s laughter. No poetry. Silence.

“I think the shock and sadness of the school closing—you know, there was a big campaign, villages tried and tried to save it, and I think when it closed, it was a very sad day.”

After the school closed in 1970, Ron Wilson founded the Everdon Outdoor Learning Centre in 1974 with two other colleagues.

“Maybe they realised the value of this place,” said Tanya.

Ron worked at the centre throughout the decades and left an “incredible mark” on it until he passed away in 2001.

The first part of the book describes “school life in the building” up until 1970. The second half of the book is "a celebration of the centre," with a primary focus on the experiences of the children and staff who visited throughout the years. Tanya spoke with more than 20 families, consisting of two or three individuals, for the first part of the book.

“I had such a wonderful time meeting the families, they have been so welcoming and open,” said Tanya.

Nina Krawczyk started working at the centre run by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) in July 2013 as an admin assistant. She took over as a manager around 2019, when Alison Crowther, the former manager of the centre, resigned in June 2019 after working there for more than six years.

Talking about the centre, Nina said: “We’re quite integrated with the village. We try to work collaboratively with them as often as we can. It’s hugely valuable. There’s nowhere else like us in the county.

“It just gives children the opportunity to access the natural world and the environment around them.”

In addition to providing a venue for community events, the residential centre offers a variety of courses for professional development and caters for group residential visits, including overnight stays and day group visits.

Nina said: “Predominantly, our main customer base is primary-age students. We offer GCSE year 10 river studies for secondary schools which has been going really well & proving to be very popular.”

During a major refurbishment and capital investment programme in 2014–2015, a fully equipped commercial kitchen and new toilets were installed.

Councillor Phil Larratt, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, Highways, and Waste from the Conservative-controlled council, said: “I’ve only been involved for the last three years, and I’ve seen the impact that WNC has had in developing the outdoor classroom, for example, which makes it a far more sustainable facility.

“I think that’s really brilliant.”

The premises were valued at around £320,000 in 2018, according to a valuation report.

Cllr Phil Larratt said: “It’s a really fantastic area that can help so much in assisting young people in learning about the environment.

“It’s great that it has lasted so long. We’re still developing the site.”

To celebrate this significant milestone, the centre offers two open days on May 5 and 6 from 1 to 5pm. People can take a trip down memory lane, explore the centre, and purchase the book, which will be available at the venue on the day.

According to Nina, 200 copies of the “celebration and history of Everdon” book are going to be available for purchase.

The design and printing of the book are handled by a local print and design company, Bee and Fox, based in Daventry.

Tanya said the book will be "affordable," even though the exact cost remains to be determined.

Cllr Phil Larratt said: “This is a great facility. Young people from across West Northamptonshire and beyond use the facility, and I think it would be great if people could come along, have a look at it, and see what it offers.

“We want it [the facility] to continue to thrive and to be a focal point for the education of our young people in environmental issues.”