Founded in 2005, Adventure Centre for Education was created in response to a growing demand for outdoor activities and education. Since then, the social enterprise has established several outdoor activity courses to inspire people of all ages to reconnect with the natural world and build their courage, confidence and resilience through adventurous training. ACE enables primary and secondary school children, youth groups and community groups the opportunity to learn practical skills and gain a greater understanding of the environment. Working in an inclusive and supportive team, the experienced instructors provide hands-on learning to improve the participants’ soft skills to grow their confidence and broaden their future aspirations.
The courses designed by ACE spread awareness for the natural world while teaching participants practical skills, and how to be confident in their abilities. For example, the Bushcraft and Survival Skills programme involves foraging for wild edibles and mastering the art of fire making. These sessions are designed to equip participants with essential skills for thriving in the wilderness. Through engaging activities and interactive experiences, they aim to instill confidence, resilience, and a sense of connection with the environment. In addition to this, ACE has been instrumental in removing obstacles to outdoor education by launching successive campaigns such as its ‘Girls ‘r’ ACE’ community project which sought to develop young women’s confidence in outdoor pursuits; and the ‘Finding the Spark’ work programme which sought applications from young adults wishing to explore a totally different career.
ACE has made a notable contribution to the surrounding communities by providing training for local people in the Forest School leaders course, and employing several staff either full-time, part-time or as volunteers. The apprenticeship scheme has been well received as candidates are given the opportunity to train in a range of activities. The opportunities available to local school children and community groups are vast, with many free activity sessions offered to local people. ACE is a key enterprise in Girvan, and through partnerships with over 30 organisations, welcomed more than 1500 people to take part in their activities in 2023 alone.
In anticipation of the future, ACE began the ‘Bandstand Project’ to refurbish the Stair Park Bandstand into a café, event space and small venue. The purchasing process began in Spring 2023 when an offer to buy was submitted, and a year later, both South Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet and the County Sheriff approved the bid to buy the building. Through funding awarded by the Architectural Heritage Fund, ACE hopes to engage the community support for the sympathetic refurbishment to bring the dilapidated building back up to standard.
While Covid forced the ACE to close its premises, the organisation stayed true to its vision of engaging participants and encouraging continued interaction with nature by posting regular updates on their social media channels. ACE kept their customers informed of plans to return to face-to-face instruction, and shared recommendations for how to undertake outdoor pursuits unsupervised and the appropriate locations for this to happen.