OUTDOOR education centre Boundless Outdoors’ opened a new dining and events space The Canopy, with new Mayor of Worcester Tor Pingree conducting the official ribbon cutting.
The new building, named The Canopy in recognition of its position among the trees at the West Malvern site, replaces a dining room that had served the centre for 110 years.
It has been designed to bring the outdoors in, with natural wood cladding, solar PV panels and a series of large windows framing the woodland that surrounds it.
While The Canopy will serve as the dining space for the thousands of schoolchildren who visit Boundless Outdoors each year, it has been designed with the wider community in mind.
The space will be available to hire for community groups, youth organisations, faith groups, weddings and family celebrations, opening up the Malvern site to a much broader audience throughout the year.
A commemorative sign for The Canopy was designed by Ella, a local primary school pupil, who was present at the opening to see her design unveiled. Her involvement was a fitting reminder of exactly who the centre exists to serve.
Nick Hands, CEO of Boundless Outdoors, spoke at the ceremony about the journey behind the project and what the new space means for the children who visit.
“This building is so much more than a dining room. The old one was 110 years old and had given incredible service to thousands of young people, but it was time.
“The Canopy has been designed to sit right within the trees, so that even when children come inside they never lose that connection to the outdoors.
“We often forget that sitting down together for a meal has become a rarity for many families. This space gives children the chance to do exactly that: to gather, to talk, to laugh and to dream up what tomorrow might bring. That is what outdoor education is really about, and now we have a building that is genuinely worthy of it.”
Beverley Nielsen, chair of Boundless Outdoors, welcomed the civic significance of the occasion.
“It means a great deal to us that Councillor Tor Pingree, Worcester’s youngest Mayor and someone whose mayoral theme is community, chose to be here to do the honours and that we’re joined by so many from our civic leadership.
“The Canopy is an investment in young people and in Malvern. I’m hugely conscious of the Boundless Outdoors team’s achievement in seeing this project through to successful completion and congratulate Nick and team wholeheartedly.
