IN the last 10 years, changes to the national curriculum have seen outdoor activities become increasingly established as an important part of the syllabus.

Much has been studied about the benefits of the outdoors on children’s learning, from being challenged physically and mentally to learning how to overcome problems.

For Ian Kennett, who helps to run Gwent Outdoor Centres which offers adventures to children across the UK, the benefits are all too obvious for the schools he works with.

The organisation, owned and run by Monmouthshire Council, has three outdoor education centres: Hilston Park in Monmouth, Talybont outdoor centre in Brecon and Gilwern outdoor centre in

Led by nine full time instructors, activities on offer are wide-ranging and include canoeing, rock climbing, gorge scrambling, abseiling, kayaking, caving, exploring mines, mountain biking, hill walking, orienteering and geocaching.

Grade II-listed country house Hilston Park in Monmouth also has high ropes and archery on site with a massive network of off road cycling routes nearby.

Their Brecon outdoor centre is the old railway station at Talybont-on-Usk while the biggest centre, Gilwern Outdoor Centre in Abergavenny, caters for up to 90 in two separate single storey buildings.

Ian Kennett, head of service at Gwent Outdoor Centres, said: “We do a whole host of things.

“Schools and outdoor groups make a booking for between one and five days depending on what they are trying to achieve and what time they have got available.”

The group sizes and ages range. They have primary age children as well as older children; last fortnight a GCSE group from Caerleon came and did mountain biking.

“We do all ages,” Mr Kennett said. “Youngsters, GCSE groups. The majority are GCSE groups and we do A level groups too.

“It happens all year round but the best seasons are the spring and summer,” Mr Kennett said.

Founded in 1970, the service was originally run by Gwent county council but following the 1986 local government reorganisation Monmouthshire council took over.

Mr Kennett said: “They provide funding which means a subsidised cost to children.

“We have had severe cuts over the last few years, there have been massive cuts but we have managed to deal with them really.

“We are broadening our market and are now getting schools and groups all across the UK.”

The centres welcome community based groups and teams of young people undertaking their national citizen service – a voluntary personal and social development programme for 16 and 17 year olds in England.

Mr Kennett said: “We get groups from all over, some from the London area.

“We also had a Spanish group from Madrid because Malpas Church Primary have a link school there.”

The outdoor instructors are a “real mix of people,” Mr Kennett said.

“They all hold outdoor qualifications in things like climbing and mountain biking.

“Different people have got their personal preferences. Some people are more qualified in some activities and others in other ones.”

Mr Kennett said the benefits to the children is “the ultimate question”.

“Quite a lot of research has been done over the last eight to 10 years and work has been done into the benefits of education outdoors,” Mr Kennett said.

“Children taking part in adventurous activities is part of the national curriculum in Wales for Key Stages two and three.

“But to be honest, we don’t see the biggest changes in the children, the teachers see them.”

He added: “We had two children in particular on a trip when we went on a half day hill walk.

“It was relatively moderate walk and one of the girls, she has some problems with pains in her ankles and she found it really quite a struggle.

“We made the offer to her about taking a shortcut and making the walk shorter. But when we made that offer she was so determined she was not going to do something different to anyone else.

“She carried on and made it along. These children are coming up against a challenge they didn’t see coming. And it takes them out of their comfort zone.

“It gives them a self confidence boost which is what it’s all about, raising self-esteem.”

The centres also run an apprentice scheme where young people can work towards a level two NVQ in outdoor skills and adventure.

For many of the children and schools in Gwent, Mr Kennett said “so many” do not realise what is on their doorstep until they take part in the great outdoors.

“At Talybont the kids were astounded at how dark it was and how many stars there were,” he said.

It is this sense of discovery and taste to try new activities what makes Gwent Outdoor Centres so popular with children and schools from both South Wales and further afield.