Blackwell Adventure Blackwell Court Agmore Road Blackwell Bromsgrove B60 1PX tel 0121 445 1285 email info@blackwelladventure.co.uk web www.blackwelladventure.co.uk
WELCOME TO BLACKWELL ADVENTURE! Blackwell Adventure is a residential and outdoor activity centre set in over 100 acres of grounds, with a wide range of adventurous activities. Our centres, Blackwell Court and Pikes Pool, are both ideally located in the heart of the Midlands. We are owned by the Birmingham Scout Association and we are a non-profit making charity. Our main aim is to encourage young people to enjoy the outdoors, to achieve fantastic goals and learn new skills. Our residential, camping and adventure facilities are among the best in the Midlands and are used by more than 25,000 people per year. Blackwell Adventure, through its two centres at Blackwell Court and Pikes Pool, offers a wonderful opportunity for young people and those who support them, to enjoy a fantastic outdoor experience, facilitated by qualified and experienced staff. Gareth, Chief Executive ~ Every child has the right to an adventure. Life is about grabbing opportunities. The prizes don t always go to the biggest, the best and the strongest they go to those who persevere. These are simple life lessons that Scouting teaches. Bear Grylls, Chief Scout ~ 2
BLACKWELL COURT Blackwell Court has a large campsite and indoor accommodation with plenty of adventurous activities to choose from. The jewel in the crown is the 19th century Manor House which offers indoor accommodation all year round. We also have two tented villages and The Stable Block, which is ideal for those looking for an alternative to traditional camping. Camping has always been our main focus and our 52 acre site offers plenty of space; We can accommodate you, no matter the group size, from a camp for 10 Explorers, to a County event for 2000! 3 We offer a wide range of activities which help develop personal and social skills, from the high adrenaline zip wire to the precision of archery, there is something for everyone. We support organisers visiting the centre from start to finish, from creating bespoke programmes or simply helping you to move your equipment when you arrive. PIKES POOL Pikes Pool is a beautiful, rustic campsite that offers many interesting camping pitches with woodland all around. The pool offers kayaking and raft building plus land based activities including zip wire, high ropes, archery and plenty more. We also have available to hire our Pikes Pool Centre which comes with a fully equipped kitchen, dining room, toilets and showers. There is room to spread out in our 50 acres of land and a friendly team to meet and help you with anything you may need. Toilets and showers are available to campers. This is an ideal site for back to basics camping with plenty of fire pits available to use.
GRASS SLEDGES This fun activity will see you sledging at speed down our giant hill. CLIMBING AND ABSEILING Test your skill on our indoor and outdoor climbing walls, and outdoor abseil tower. Climbing is great for building confidence. 7YRS TO ADULT 7YRS TO 16YRS 3G SWING Together in pairs you are hauled up into the air, then released. This base gives you a serious adrenaline rush. ADVENTURE HIGH ADVENTURE COURSE Available at both centres, these include the following activities: Giants Ladder, High All Aboard, Crate Stack, Multi Scramble and Fan Descender. Each base is great fun and promotes team work as you help to belay your friends. CAVING Scrambling and squeezing through our replica caving system provides a fun alternative to a real cave. Please note Multi Scramble and Fan Descender only available at Blackwell Court. BUSHCRAFT Our purpose built bushcraft area comes complete with parachute canopy, fire pit and bushcraft tool kit. ARCHERY With an indoor and outdoor range, using real bows you will learn how to improve your aim and hit the target. 7YRS TO ADULT ORIENTEERING Once you have been taught how to read a map you will need to navigate your way around our 52 acres. Fun for all ages. 4 6YRS TO ADULT FAN DESCENDER If you ve ever wanted to try a parachute jump then this is ideal, 11m free fall jump.
ACTIVITIES WHICH SITE IS YOUR ACTIVITY ON? SEE THE KEY BELOW! OBSTACLE COURSE This activity base is great for all to enjoy as you work your way over, under, above and through the obstacles along the course. 6YRS TO 16YRS WATER SPORTS Kayaking - The participants will learn new skills and develop in confidence on our lake, whilst being supervised by our BCU qualified staff. Raft Building - With only a few barrels, logs and some lengths of rope, you and your team will need to design a craft capable of holding your team whilst on the water. PEDAL KARTS You will be racing around a purpose built race track having great fun. 8YRS TO 16YRS Blackwell Court Pikes Pool ZIP WIRES Zipping down at high speed on our 150m and 240m zip wires, will ensure a fantastic experience! SWIMMING POOL Our outdoor heated pool is a popular choice in the summer months for competitions and games. *Open May to September ICE CLIMBING Specifically built on our largest trees to give you a climbing experience with a difference. Using ice axes, you will ascend to great heights. TEAM CHALLENGE On this activity you will be set a number of problem solving puzzles. You and your group will work together to plan and solve these quirky challenges. IDEAL 5 AGE TREE TREK This tree based activity is perfect for our younger visitors wanting to have a taste of adventure. 7YRS TO 11YRS
MANOR HOUSE All year round facility Centrally heated 56 beds over two floors in 12 rooms Dining room Toilets and showers on both upper floors Fully equipped kitchen Equipped meeting/training room Suitable for everything from day conferences to long residentials Leaders Room Boot room Lounge / Lecture Room Hall / Reception Room Private - Activities Office Scullery Kitchen Dining Room Scullery Private Private Room 7 8 BEDS SHOWER & Room 4 6 BEDS Room 3 8 BEDS Room 5 (Leaders) 1 BED Room 1 8 BEDS Room 2 8 BEDS Room 6 (Leaders) 2 BEDS Laundry Bath & Room 8 4 BEDS Room 12 (Leaders) 2 BEDS Shower Room 10 (Leaders) 1 BED Room 9 4 BEDS Room 11 4 BEDS Washroom Showers We have been coming to Blackwell for over 10 years and we love to see the ongoing work and care that goes into the Manor House. Andy Evans, 218th Birmingham Scouts ~ 6
THE TENTED VILLAGES Purpose built facilities Tents with solid floors Full size bunk beds Large kitchen tent including gas burners and fully equipped with cooking utensils and catering equipment Separate Leaders tents with electricity and lights Large dining marquee with benches and tables, lighting and electricity, also suitable for day activities Solid paths between tents Fully floodlit for night time purposes KEY Kitchen Tent Dining Marquee Sleeping Tent Leaders Tent BROOKS VILLAGE TURNER VILLAGE GROUP ROOM DAY HIRE FACILITIES Ideal for day hire for meetings Complement a birthday party with flexible room hire SPORTS HALL Perfect for sports groups to hire Sports flooring with various court markings 7
STABLE BLOCK All year round facility Hot air heating system Large kitchen including industrial size oven and equipment 28 beds in bunk house layout up to 24 young people and 4 Leaders Toilet Large dining room suitable for many activities Adjacent camping available for larger groups Ideal catering base for large events Leaders Room 4 BEDS Room 4 6 BEDS Room 5 6 BEDS Kitchen Dining Room Room 2 6 BEDS Room 1 6 BEDS PIKES POOL CENTRE SHOWERS SHOWERS MAIN HALL STORE KITCHEN Female and male toilets and showers PORCH Wheelchair friendly Large parking area Fully equipped kitchen Fridge-freezer, cookers and fridge Separate dining room Camping field for sole use just outside the building 8
CAMPING BLACKWELL COURT Blackwell Court is a beautiful rural location, yet conveniently located close to main motorway links. The 52 acre site is ideal for groups. You can complement your visit by choosing some of our 20 adventurous activities. We are here to support you from start to finish - from a small patrol camp to a jamboree, we can offer you a fantastic experience. The fields are split into campsites which you book in advance to suit your group s numbers and requirements. If you have any specific requirements, such We have been as being close to the showers, then our providing camping at Customer Service Team will gladly Blackwell Adventure for over talk through these with you. 30 years and take great pride in our two sites. Regular feedback praises us for the friendly, welcoming nature of all our staff, and the cleanliness of the site - we hope you ll feel the same. PIKES POOL Pikes Pool provides a wonderful opportunity to experience the more traditional approach to camping. With more than 50 acres of land to explore you can try your hand at our new and exciting land based activities such as our high ropes course, as well as fun on the water with rafting and kayaking. The site has a number of individual campsites, some close to the camp centre and some further afield. It also boasts a new toilet block, providing up to date facilities and hot showers. We also offer the Pikes Pool Centre if an indoor building with a kitchen facility would complement your camping experience. The Campsite Support Team will be there for you during your stay and our Customer Service Team will be glad to advise you with any enquiries prior to your arrival. 9 We are passionate about the benefit that outdoor activities provide to young people, and will support leaders as much as we can to make this possible.
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES We have over 150 schools who have been returning to Blackwell Adventure for many years, to enjoy our activities and residential packages. From year 6 reward days out, to team building days for a group of new pupils, to Year 10 climbing courses, we offer plenty of variety and bespoke packages to suit your needs. The large number of schools and colleges that book year on year is a credit to what Blackwell Adventure offers. We are an AALS licenced Centre. WHAT Our 10th year and it just gets better and better - our children love it. Jo Haynes, Teacher ~ Wilden Primary School SCOUTS AND GUIDES As a Birmingham County Scout Association owned centre, it s fair to say we know a thing or two about what Scout and Guide leaders look for in a campsite. Friendly staff, traditional values, support throughout from booking to the camp, fun and engaging activities and prices to suit any budget. 10 Great campsite with Scouts. Brilliant activities. WOW :) Jack Williams, Scout ~ Blackwell Adventure offers all this plus plenty more. The core team at Blackwell Adventure are mostly from a Scout and Guide background so getting young people in the outdoors and keeping to the Scouting ethos is what drives us. We are very proud to be able to give the same level of service and support to a Scout leader doing their first camp with 20 scouts or to a County Commissioner organising a jamboree style event for 2000 plus.
WE DO What a fantastic day, we achieved our personal goals and discovered new goals. Sally, Training & Development Manager ~ Our adult team building packages offer something for everyone. We have informal packages such as our Outdoor Fun, Fish & Chips which is ideal for a fun day out of the office, or maybe a bespoke tailored package with specific learning outcomes such as time management or improved communication skills. Whatever the reason, number of participants or time of year, we will do our best to ensure your trip here will be a successful one. Also, as we are a non-profit making charity, it means we offer fantastic value for money and your business is supporting and underpinning our ethos, which is to support young people and get them outdoors having fun. www.blackwellforbusiness.co.uk Flo and her friends had an amazing time and all said it was the best party ever! Jules, Flo s mum ~ 11 FAMILY AND FRIENDS Our ethos is all around enabling as many people to get outdoors and enjoy doing fun and adventurous activities. Therefore we ve been running birthday parties, School Holiday Club and Family and Friends parties for many years and have celebrated over 1000 birthdays! We can help you choose which activities best suit your party to ensure everyone leaves having had a great time.
SITE To Alvechurch & Barnt Green To Pikes Pool & Burcot To Blackwell Village & Barnt Green 12
MAPS KEY CAUTION Livestock Sheep grazing OUT OF BOUNDS 13
How do I book? Sarah, Scout Leader ~ Mel We are very happy to assist you in booking with us and want to make the process as easy as possible. You can either email us at info@blackwelladventure.co.uk or call on 0121 4451285. We also have a contact us page on our web site. We are here to help along the way and so feel free to ask as many questions as you like! What about the finance side of it? Penny, Bursar ~ Sarah As with the bookings process, we want to make your experience as easy as possible so we will send out clear guidelines as to the payment terms, how and when to pay. How do I know the activities are safe? Danny, Primary School Teacher ~ Ned All our activities are subject to regulations under the HSE and the AALS licencing scheme. We also operate to the national governing body guidelines. All of our staff are suitably trained and qualified so you can get the most out of your visit to Blackwell. Our risk assessments can also be downloaded on our website. 14 FAQs FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What happens if it rains? John, Parent ~ Helen With our great British weather system, you never know what to expect, however, we believe in the quote there s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. So come prepared with waterproofs and enjoy the mud! As a charity, where does my money go to? Jennifer, Parent ~ Gareth The income we receive covers the cost of running the centre and employing the staff. All of our surplus is reinvested into new activities and facilities, such as refurbishing the girls and boys toilets. Are your activities just for kids? Majid, Business Owner ~ Rob No! We also offer fantastic packages for adults and corporate organisations such as team building days or an afternoon with your mates!
HOW TO FIND US Blackwell Court Agmore Road, Blackwell, Bromsgrove B60 1PX Blackwell Adventure Pikes Pool Pikes Pool Lane, Burcot, Bromsgrove B60 1LJ FROM M5 Use junction 4 and take A38 Bromsgrove At M42 roundabout take B4096 Burcot At Burcot mini roundabout - turn left up Green Hill signed Blackwell Golf Club In Blackwell village, crossroads - turn right into Station Road The campsite entrance is on the right, 100m after the railway bridge. For the Manor House, Stable Block and Group Room Continue for 500m, the entrance is on the right. FROM M42 (Westbound only) Leave at Junction 1 and follow instructions from M42 roundabout above. FOR PIKES POOL Follow instructions to B4096 Burcot as above At Burcot mini roundabout go straight over Take first right into Pikes Pool Lane Pikes Pool entrance is approximately 500m on the right 15