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Ancrum Outdoor Education Centre
Ancrum Outdoor Education Centre is unusual in that we are based in the heart of the City of Discovery, yet we have excellent transport links to some of the finest rivers, lochs and mountains in Scotland as well as being situated on one of the finest estuaries in Europe.

What do we do?
Ancrum Staff always attempt to provide high quality activities that are tailor made for each group. We consider "your" needs and always identify aims and objectives prior to starting any course. For some people, this is skills based, for others it is confidence building and for some groups it could be social development. Either way it is all based around fun activities and we promise you will learn something by the end of your chosen activity programme.

View the list of 'courses' currently on offer

We also attempt to offer accreditation for some of the listed awards, as well as working with National Awards, such as ASDAN and Duke of Edinburgh.

This is not a definitive list and we remain flexible in our programme design. We will always attempt to deliver what 'you' want.

What About Safety?
Many of the above named activities are overseen by The Adventure Activities Licensing Authority. This includes stringent checks on staff qualifications, equipment and appropriate venues. The absolute maximum group ratio you can expect is 10:1. However, with some activities/groups, this will be even smaller.
For more information on our safety procedure, please contact the Ancrum Centre.

Equipment Hire
Ancrum Centre has a massive range of equipment that is available for hire to the general public. All of the equipment is maintained and serviced by experienced and qualified technicians, who ensure that your chosen equipment will not let you down on the water, or in the mountains. Visit 'equipment hire' for more info.

What We Offer
We are a non-profit making organization offering a service primarily to the people of Dundee. This includes members of the public, schools, Community Centres and other organizations. We offer a broad range of activities intended for differing aims and objectives. These include beginner/activity taster sessions and other sessions intended for advanced skills acquisition and activities designed for personal and social development and teambuilding.

Staff
We believe that each group is different in its aims and objectives and therefore have different requirements. We aim to cater for these differences by selecting the best instructor for the needs of the group or individual. Instructors use their experience and judgement to plan and run the activities and sessions according to the requirements of the group or individual. See the list on your right for more info...

Tasters & Social Activities
Fun is always an important element in all our activities. The emphasis is on fun during our taster sessions and activities run for Birthday parties and other occasions.

Skills acquisition
With sessions designed to learn and improve skills there is a stronger element of formal coaching. This coaching is intended to provide a skill progression by using methods that make it an enjoyable experience. We make every effort to allocate the most appropriately trained and qualified instructor according to the activity.

Personal & Social Development
A high proportion of the activities on offer to educational establishments will have personal and social development as a main focus. Skills acquisition and fun is still very important but it will often be secondary to the main aims of increasing confidence, self-esteem and social competency.
This is done using experiential learning methods, often utilizing perceived risk in adventurous activities to create new and challenging experiences for the participants. These activities are also often of benefit in providing a meaningful, real experience of learning that is linked to more formal areas of the school curriculum.
Our staff attempt to make full use of all opportunities and situations to gain or maximize any potential learning.

Annual Report
Download our Annual Report in PDF format here:
Ancrum Outdoor Education Centre Annual Report 08/09 - 612k

Contact
Ancrum Outdoor Education Centre
10 Ancrum Road, Dundee DD2 2HZ
01382 435911
ancrum.centre@dundeecity.gov.uk

Staff

Earle (Centre Manager) - Despite being busy running the Centre Earle tries to find time to ski (Nordic and Alpine), kayak, climb and mountain bike across Scotland and in Europe. He also has an interest in micro-lights.

Bruce (Outdoor Education Worker) - Bruce is our chief sailing and Kayaking instructor. His interests are also skiing and Open Canoeing. Bruce's main responsibility is for providing Outdoor Education to Community Groups.

Gavin (Outdoor Education Worker) -
A keen sea kayaker, Gavin is also an accomplished sailor and a Munroist. Gavin provides Outdoor Education for the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund (BNSF).

Dave (Outdoor Education Worker) - Dave is an accomplished mountaineer. He has climbed extensively in the UK and European Alps. His other interests include travelling and any adventure sports. Dave provides Outdorr Education for Dundee Secondary Schools and Dundee College.

Lewis (Outdoor Education Worker) - Lewis spends most of his time behind bars (of a mountain bike). When the ground is covered in snow he gets his speed fix on skis. His other interests include climbing and coasteering. Lewis provides Outdoor Education for the for schools and Off-site Units.

Sue (Outdoor Education Worker) - Sue's main interests are climbing and mountaineering. She is also developing her mountain biking and skiing. Sue provides outdoor education for the Dundee Secondary Schools and is also Duke of Edinburgh Award technical advisor.

Neil (Outdoor Education Worker) - Neil has worked at Ancrum as a sessional since 2001 and has now joined the team full-time. His interests include sailing, kayaking, mountain biking and climbing. Neil provides Outdoor Education for Xplore project annd community based groups.

Fraser (Stores Assistant) - Although Fraser works in the stores he is also a qualified Trail Cycle Leader and is a keen skier and kayaker.

Graham (Stores Controller) - In his spare time Graham enjoys long trips in his open canoe and skiing. He is well known for his resourcefulness and ability to fix equipment that has broken.

John (Stores Assistant) - John's engineering background and detailed knowledge of the local coastline make him a valued member of our team.

Jaci (Senior Clerical Assistant) - Jaci has now been with us for two years, her knowledge of the outdoors has improved, she now knows about high pressures and neaps (and not the kind you put in soup!).

Sandra (Clerical Assistant) - Sandra finds her clerical time split between Ancrum and the Better Neighbourhood Service Fund. Somehow she manages to get both jobs done no matter how busy the office gets.

Ann (Clerical Support) - Ann is our clerical support for afternoon and evenings. If you phone after 5pm Ann is sure to be of help.

Bill (Resource Assistant) - One to look for when you need help or a joke. Bill also helps with the maintenance of the Centre, its transport and the Stores.

Colin (Resource Assistant) - Colin is well known for his jovial banter and ability to cut to the chase. He is also responsible for the day to day maintenance of the Centre and its transport.