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An activity centre owned by Girlguiding UK, and listed for sale with a guide price of £4m, has been sold and is set to reopen under new management, the charity has said.
Blackland Farm, in West Sussex, was one of five activity centres Girlguiding put up for sale last year, because the charity said it could not afford the level of investment the centres required.
Third Sector understands that the site has been sold to a new adventure operator called Blackland Farm Outdoor Centre, which is the trading name of 4th Dimension. The company has run adventure activities in the Blackland Farm area for the past 35 years, according to its website.
After the Blackland Farm site was put up for sale, 4th Dimension joined with the existing team at the centre – a cohort of about 50 instructors, estates and events experts – who developed the original Girlguiding campsite into a “centre of outdoor excellence”, Blackland Farm Outdoor Centre’s website says.
It adds that the team wishes to “protect and grow the site’s provision for the future”.
The site will be reopened under its new management with an open day on 26 May, which will welcome Scouting and Girlguiding leaders, youth workers and teachers to view the centre and its facilities.
Girlguiding would not disclose how much the centre sold for, but a Savills listing showed a guide price of £4m.
Once reopened, the outdoor activity centre will offer camping, indoor accommodation and activities such as canoeing, climbing and abseiling, Girlguiding said in a statement. It added that the centre will be open to Girlguiding and Scout groups, schools, youth groups and more.
Girlguiding reiterated that the funds from its activity centre sales would be placed in a “designated fund which will include further investment in our adventure offer as well as for the future of Girlguiding”.
When asked for further details on what this fund will be used for, the charity said: “We want to make sure even more girls get to experience adventures big and small and will be providing improved training and resources for volunteers, including our adventure finder and adventure map.
“And this year we are giving £400,000 to our countries and regions teams to support tens of thousands of girls in the UK having adventures.”
Catherine Irwin, chair of Girlguiding UK, said: “I’m delighted Blackland Farm will be operated by owners who are local and who know both the site and the area.
“We cannot afford to own and operate activity centres ourselves and we are very glad that Blackland Farm, under local ownership, will carry on being used for adventure by young people.”
The charity said it is “continuing the process of selling” its other four activity centres – Foxlease, Glenbrook, Waddow Hall and Ynysgain.
The charitable incorporated organisation Foxie’s Future, which was set up by former Girlguiding leaders, recently confirmed that it had raised enough funds to bid for the Foxlease centre in Hampshire, which was also listed by Savills with a guide price of £4m.
But the CIO said it expected to be in competition with a number of third parties, due to the number of viewing days being held at the centre.
Girlguiding said it was unable to provide further information on the selling process of its remaining centres, but a spokesperson said: “Girlguiding’s trustees will make the final decision on the terms of sale for each activity centre and will look to provide the best outcome for the charity.
“Proposals for each property will be assessed based on principles which will be agreed in advance by the board of trustees.”