A CENTRE which provides life-enhancing activities for young people has been awarded £9,300 to enable those with disabilities to take part in climbing and water sports.

Carlton Lodge Activity Centre, which is run by charity North Yorkshire Youth, at a 12-acre site in Carlton Miniott, near Thirsk, said it had bid for the funding from the Big Lottery’s Awards for All as its lack of specialist equipment prevented disabled young people from taking full part in all of its activities.

The centre, which was visited by nearly 5,200 seven to 25-year-olds last year, uses a range of indoor and outdoor activities to boost self-confidence and team-working skills by focussing on communication, planning and creative thinking.

The activities are run in a way that can be linked to the National Curriculum and meeting the requirements within subjects ranging from geography to science.

The centre, which was established in 1970, also offers corporate packages - to improve firms' productivity, communications and motivation - alongside residential visits for schools.

Managers said the need for extra specialist equipment became apparent when Welburn Hall Special School, Kirkbymoorside, brought two young people in wheelchairs earlier this year.

The centre will use the funds to buy an off-road wheelchair for use on the site, where youngsters are challenged to take part in orienteering, bushcraft or archery or tackle a high ropes course.

The site also features a lake for water sports and a newly-refurbished climbing wall.

The special wheelchair will enable disabled young people to access locations for activities such as caving, bouldering and abseiling on trips to places, including Brimham Rocks.

The funding will also buy harnesses for activities, such as climbing, and items such as a mobile hoist to enable disabled young people to use kayaks and canoes.

A centre spokesman said: "We did have some equipment which meant disabled young people could get involved to a high degree, but not as far as we wanted.

"We are delighted and very excited by the award as we have always sought to be fully inclusive and this will further enable us to ensure that disabled young people within a school or youth group gain the same benefit from all our activities as their peers.

"It is about experiencing something that visitors will remember for the rest of their lives."