Assembly Member turns Ray Mears to applaud new tourism venture (Eleanor Burnham )

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Eleanor Burnham <info@eburnham.org.uk>

Assembly Member turns Ray Mears to applaud new tourism venture

June 25, 2010 11:19 AM

Eleanor Burnham has discovered her "inner Ray Mears" thanks to a new North Wales bushcraft and survival centre designed for those more wary of roughing it in the woods.

North Wales Liberal Democrat AM Eleanor Burnham tried her hand at building a shelter and cooking a meal from basic army rations in the woodland grounds of Ty'n Dwr Hall near Llangollen.

The bushcraft course provides a gentle introduction to survival and is part of a new joint venture between Ty'n Dwr's activity provider, Pro-Active Adventure, and Celticos Holidays.

They will offer "low adrenaline" activity and culture breaks - combining buschraft with kayaking across Pontcysyllte aqueduct, for example - as part of a programme of responsible tourism.

Eleanor, a keen supporter of tourism that carefully manages its environmental, social, and economic impact on communities, was impressed with Ty'n Dwr's facilities and had great fun trying out bushcraft.

She said: "As a passionate advocate of tourism in North Wales, I relished the opportunity to visit Ty'n Dwr Hall to take part in the bushcraft course.

"I had a wonderful time, and with fantastic guidance from the team built a shelter and cooked a great meal.

"This is a terrific initiative, combining activity with culture while promoting responsible tourism in North Wales. It deserves every success."

Pro-Active Adventure Managing Director Clive Richley said the bushcraft course was a great example of an outdoor activity that had minimal impact on the environment.

He said: "Bushcraft and many of the other activities we offer enable visitors to better understand and appreciate our environment. And centres like Ty'n Dwr bring economic and social benefits to the area, as visitors will eat out and spend money in local shops.

"Our joint venture with Celticos is a natural fit and through them we're looking forward to people of all ages joining us here to enjoy our bushcraft activities."

Celticos runs low-adrenaline activity holidays across North Wales including walking, photography, canoeing and culture breaks.

Managing director Alwyn Griffiths said: "We wanted to offer something different with our bushcraft course, in that you don't have to be a tough young male or a Ray Mears-fanatic to try it and take something from it.

"Eleanor is a big supporter of responsible tourism and has been following Celtico's progress with interest, so it was great she was able to come to Ty'n Dwr and try the bushcraft. I know she had a great time."