Covid: ‘Outdoor education could be lost to a generation’

A ban on residential visits and lack of school trips during the pandemic has cost the outdoor education sector £500m and caused the loss of 6,000 jobs, a group has said.

The Institute for Outdoor Learning (IOL) said if centres cannot offer these courses to schools they may be forced to close.

The Welsh and UK governments say they regularly review the rules.

Sophie Holdstock, who works at the Arete Outdoor Centre in Llanrug, Gwynedd, said she feared outdoor education could be lost to a generation of school children.