Outward Bound Aberdyfi hope Senedd Members will back a bill to make residential stays part of the curriculum.

On behalf of the outdoor education sector, Outward Bound Chief Executive Martin Davidson has written an Open Letter in support of the Residential Outdoor Education (Wales) Bill to First Minister, Vaughan Gething urging Senedd Members to back it when it goes before them on 17 April.

The letter has been signed by 13 other like-minded organisations including Scouts Cymru. A copy can be found at https://shorturl.at/jJOY8.

According to those organisations, the Senedd has a golden opportunity for ‘Wales to lead the way’ on outdoor education. The Bill would establish a statutory duty on local authorities to ensure Wales’ youngsters have the opportunity to participate in a week-long, residential outdoor education visit during their schooling.

The Bill will also put funding in place to enable local authorities and schools to deliver these life-changing experiences for the nation’s young people.

The letter, fronted by Outward Bound Chief Executive Martin Davidson, says: “Now is the time for Wales to lead the way by letting every young person in on this adventure”, adding that the Bill “represents a chance to make this happen and a golden opportunity for every young person in Wales”.

Addressing Mr Gething directly, it starts: “I’d like you to imagine a classroom without walls, where the sky’s the limit and no young person feels left behind. This isn't a daydream; it's what we, at Outward Bound, along with our friends and like-minded organisations across the outdoor education sector, do every single day. But right now, it's a chance not everyone gets. This must change.”

AHOEC, Annington, Field Studies Council, Girlguiding, IOL, National Landscapes Association, Outdoor Advisory Board, Rock UK, Scouts, Summer Camps Trust, UK Youth and YHA support the letter, which ends with a call to action.

It says: “To Senedd Members, consider the difference this Bill could make, not just in education, but to both individual wellbeing and the communities we live in.

“To parents and teachers, imagine the potential this could unlock. Let's not let it slip through our fingers.”