Ogwen Cottage and Towyn Camp outdoor centres to sell at auction

Birmingham City Council agreed to shut Ogwen Cottage in July after running it since 1964

Two former outdoor education centres in Gwynedd are expected to sell for about £500,000 at auction this month.

Ogwen Cottage at Nant Ffrancon near Bethesda was shut by Birmingham council to cut costs after providing holiday accommodation for city children for 50 years.

A local campaign aims to raise enough funds to bid at the auction next week.

Wolverhampton council is also selling Towyn Camp at Pwllheli.

Birmingham City Council agreed to shut Ogwen Cottage in July, saying its outdoor centres were only occupied for 55% of the time and were not covering their costs.

Ogwen Cottage, with its eight dormitories for about 40 children, has a guide price of over £375,000.

"In general, people would like to see it kept as an outdoor education centre," said Steve Webb from Bethesda who has helped set up a community campaign to try to bid and buy it.

Towyn Camp, with a guide of £120,000, is a detached five-bedroom former farm house, close to the beach.

Towyn Camp is a detached five bedroom former farm house