Three outdoor activity centres, used to teach the district’s children about nature and the great outdoors, are preparing for life as charitable trusts.

Nell Bank in Ilkley, Buckden House in Upper Wharfedale and Ingleborough Hall in Clapham have, until recently, been run with the financial backing of Bradford Council.

But with council budgets facing increasing pressure, the decision was recently made to make the centres self-sustaining and they are now being run as charitable trusts. It is hoped that within four years the centres will be making a profit, or at least breaking even.

Work is now under way to improve all three centres, and at one centre this includes building an unusual addition – an Iron Age roundhouse.

Before the Council wound down fundings, the Bradford Schools Forum promised more than £1 million investment into the centres to make them more attractive to schools, and “21st century” centres that would be popular for years to come.

In recent years, the numbers at the centres have been declining, and at times run at just over 50 per cent of capacity.

Now a programme of improvements, including new furniture and “hygiene pods” in bedrooms at Ingleborough Hall and Buckden House is under way.

Primary and secondary school teachers are helping staff develop lessons, and a marketing manager has been appointed to help improve the centres’ use.

And work is being done to maximise the number of people who can stay at the facilities overnight.

Today, Bradford Council’s Children’s Services scrutiny committee will hear the latest about the centres. A report will show that although for the first few years of the centres being run as trusts the centres will cost more than they make, by 2017/18 the three will all either break even or make a profit.

One of the ways the trust at Nell Bank hope to attract new visitors is by building an Iron Age-style roundhouse to give visiting children the chance to learn about life in ancient times.

Youngsters visiting the Denton Road centre will be able to use the roundhouse as their base for archaeological days, and ‘find’ Roman coins and other artefacts, if plans for the building go ahead.

The Nell Bank Trust is seeking planning permission from Bradford Council to construct the 5.9-metre-high building, on the lowest, southern part of the centres land.

The £20,000 project is being funded entirely by Ilkley and District Round Table, who have also offered to help build the historic home.

Both the design and the materials of the house will be faithful to the time period, and it has also been designed for easy access for people with physical or sensory disability.

The roundhouse is intended to fit into an ‘early peoples’ education programme at the centre and will add a new dimension to history lessons.

Bruce Fowler, Nell Bank manager, said: “Ilkley Round Table are both funding and supplying much of the hard labour involved. They have given amazing support to Nell Bank at crucial times in its development towards Britain’s most inclusive and busiest education centre.”

The planning application for the roundhouse is expected to be determined by Bradford Council.

Mr Fowler said the new way the centres were being run would help secure their futures, and believes there will still be strong links between the council and the trusts, even without the financial backing. He said: “We get about 25,000 schoolchildren come here each year, and 90 per cent of schools visit us once a year.

“The £1 million from the school’s forum will help develop the residential accommodation – the demand has been incredible. At the moment, about 80 per cent of the people who come here are on day visits because of limited space.

“The schools have been fantastic in their support. There is a lot of evidence on the value of learning outside the classroom and the council have been very supportive of outdoor learning.

“The council might not have the money to keep supporting us financially but the support is still there.”

He said that becoming self sustaining would mean the future of the centres were more secure, as they were less dependent on the financial wellbeing of council finances.