Birmingham City Council
Ron James remained chief instructor for another 5 years after Birmingham City Council purchased The Cott in 1964.
Over the next 45 years thousands of Brummies were introduced to all that Ogwen could offer. Until the 1980s courses were for a fortnight but economic considerations and the need to take more students meant a reduction to six days.
The early years saw a very traditional mountain centre. Students lit coal fires for warmth and icy water was taken from the stream in harsh winters when pipes froze. The staff room was full off the instructors smoking pipes, their dogs curled up at their feet.
Nowadays everything is ruled by stringent health and safety considerations, so no smoking or dogs. The Adventurous Activities Licensing Service (AALLS) pays regular visits and while the activities may not be as extreme as they once were, Ogwen is probably the only centre in the UK to regularly programme multi pitch climbing for secondary school students.
Read more about this topic: Ogwen Cottage
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