Adventure and outdoor centres used by schools and young people could soon be released from their legal responsibility for maintaining the highest levels of safety if the Government gets it way.
And now Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham has written to schools in his constituency, encouraging them to challenge a plan to repeal the law which keeps young people safe in school outdoor activities.
The Tory-led Government intend to repeal the Adventure Activities Licensing Act which was introduced following the tragic death of four teenagers in the Lyme Bay canoeing tragedy in March 1993. Instead, the licensing act could be replaced with a voluntary code of practice for adventure activities.
There are fears however that with no guarantees of the safety of facilities, many schools and parents would simply not be willing to take responsibility for a child’s wellbeing in unlicensed adventure activities and therefore children would miss out on participating in valuable educational and social opportunities.
Alex has written to schools, asking them to sign the petition which would oppose the repeal of the Adventure Activities Act, and is also urging parent to show their support as well.
To sign the petition to keep our young people safe, go to: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/24819
Alex said:
“We all want our young people to enjoy the great outdoors and it is vital that young people are able to experience outdoor adventure activities which do so much to build their confidence and improve their social skills.
“However parents need to be reassured that their children will be undertaking activities in a safe environment and that the instructors in charge of them are trained to the highest level.
“The Tory-led government’s proposed voluntary code of practice is bad for everyone. Children will miss out on valuable outdoor adventures as their parents and schools will not want to take any chances and compromise their safety, and outdoor activity schemes will lose much needed custom and the opportunity to show young people the joys of the outdoors.
“I urge you all to sign the online petition, tell the government their idea is ill-founded and keep our young people safe to they can get the most out of learning outside the classroom.”
