Field centre 'super fan' receives special blue plaque

A proclaimed "super fan" of a field centre has received an English Heritage-style blue plaque as the site celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Jacqueline Hughes said that school trips to Everdon Outdoor Learning Centre in Northamptonshire in 1974 inspired her to seek a career in education.

The teacher now brings her own pupils to the facility near Daventry, which provides a base for children to study geography, science and the environment.

Ms Hughes said: "I refer to my room [at the centre] as my bedroom and it's like home from home."

Ms Hughes said she could even remember the bunk bed she slept in when she first visited the outdoor learning centre, not long after it opened in an old school in 1974.

"We had a lot of fun in the dorms," she said.

"We had some wonderful, wonderful walks to some beautiful countryside, although the walking was quite tricky,

"We paddled our feet in Fawsley Lake, we studied minibeasts in the woods and we were fed some very lovely hearty meals."

Ms Hughes now brings two school groups to the centre each year, as well as youngsters who are part of Rainbow, Brownie, Guide and Ranger groups.

She said that the adults leading the groups "probably get as much fun out of it as the children".

She added that the centre had "absolutely" inspired her to become a teacher.

"The area here just hit a chord with me - my experience here was such a brilliant one that, when I became an adult and I was looking for places to take children, this was the place to come."

As part of the centre's 50th birthday celebrations, Ms Hughes was presented with her own English Heritage-style blue plaque, which described her as a "super fan" of the centre.

Everdon Outdoor Learning Centre, which is run by West Northamptonshire Council, provides activities such as fire lighting, orienteering and shelter building.

Lee Baker, one of the outdoor educational rangers at the centre, leads walks around the Everdon countryside.

Mr Baker said getting children out in the fresh air was "good for the soul" as well as for their fitness.

He added: "I learn a lot from the kids - they sometimes teach me things I don't know [about nature]. It's learning for everyone really."

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