A SCOUT campsite and activity centre which children from across West Yorkshire attend has been awarded $25,000 by a US charity.

The grant, from the Alcoa Foundation, will enable Bradley Wood Scout Campsite and Activity Centre in Brighouse to run environmental sessions for youngsters.

The centre is run by West Yorkshire Scouts, and primarily offers camping, accommodation and a wide range of outdoor activities for Scouts, schools and other youth groups.

With the cash influx, equivalent to around £19,000, they will be able to develop Bradley Wood to enable them to deliver outdoor learning and environmental studies to young people.

The grant has come from a foundation connected to Alcoa, a lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing firm from the US, which has a site in Low Moor, Bradford.

It will be used to develop a number of environmental initiatives at the site that will allow young people to visit the 55-acre woodland and experience first-hand the ecological and environmental habitats that the campsite and centre has to offer.

Through this project a number of habitats will be created at the site as well as resources and facilities to support schools, Scouts and other youth groups who will use it as a destination for outdoor learning and education.

“We have developed a partnership with the Alcoa site in Bradford who have supported us through the grant application process, they have been a massive help to us,” said Gareth Pierce, trustee of West Yorkshire Scouts.

“We are delighted that this grant has given us the opportunity to further develop our woodland and enable us to open it up so that young people can learn about nature and the environment,” he added.

“We want young people from our local community to really benefit from this opportunity and learn how they can play a key part in protecting our precious environment.”

The packages that the centre will deliver will cater for both primary and secondary education levels as well as many of the Scout badges and awards that young people can participate in.

The team at Bradley Wood are currently busy setting up the infrastructure to be able to run their environmental sessions, and they hope to have a full package available later this year.

It will involve the creation of a hide for bird-watching as well as digging a number of ponds, and setting up a bug trail.

The site offers a range of activities including an indoor climbing wall and a high ropes course, as well as accommodation blocks and camping areas.

Around 25,000 young people visit the site each year. The land was bought by the Scout Association in 1942.

More information is available at bradleywood.org.uk.