YORK’S Joseph Rowntree School is to stop using an outdoor activity centre, named in memory of a late teacher.

School head Richard Crane said in a letter to parents that the Ken Ather Centre at Stape, near Pickering, had been used and maintained by the school for a many years, providing students with memorable experiences.

But he said the school governing body had decided to withdraw from it after a review of legal arrangements by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, which owned the building.

Individuals would have had to take on the role of trustees, taking on legal responsibilities in addition to financial management.

“The school does not have the financial resources to take on the potential risks associated with the management and maintenance costs associated with a property that is the age of Stape,” he said. “For these reasons, the governing body have decided to withdraw from Stape.”

He said it would be used until next July, and Year 8 students would continue to have ‘fantastic outward bound experiences’ in coming years.

He said Mr Ather, who died in 2001, had been a caring and committed teacher, whose legacy was still felt today, and school was determined to continue his work into the future, with its Duke of Edinburgh coordinator establishing a number of extra curricular activities.

The trust said it had been working closely with the school over the past two years over the centre’s future, including the option of a Trust to run it for use by the wider community.

“We have extended our agreement with Joseph Rowntree School to give them as much time as possible to explore all possibilities for the future use of the centre by the school,” said senior development manager Jonathan Gibson.”The Trust are looking at all options for the future of the building.”