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Worcester's new Mayor officially opens The Canopy at Boundless Outdoors Malvern
New dining and social space marks 13 years of outdoor education at the Malvern centre, with thousands of young people set to benefit.
Boundless Outdoors' new dining and events space, The Canopy, was officially opened on Saturday 27 June 2026 by Councillor Tor Pingree, the new Mayor of Worcester, in a ceremony that reflected reflected the spirit of this not-for-profit community business. Rather than cutting a ribbon, Cllr Pingree pulled a slip-knot rope to mark the occasion: a nod to the outdoor skills taught at the centre and, as those in attendance noted, very Boundless.
The new building, named The Canopy in recognition of its position among the trees at the West Malvern site, replaces a dining room that had served the centre for 110 years. It has been designed to bring the outdoors in, with natural wood cladding, solar PV panels and a series of large windows framing the woodland that surrounds it. Photographs of the local hills, supplied by the Beacon Photography Club, feature throughout the interior.
While The Canopy will serve as the dining space for the thousands of schoolchildren who visit Boundless Outdoors each year, it has been designed with the wider community in mind. The space will be available to hire for community groups, youth organisations, faith groups, weddings and family celebrations, opening up the Malvern site to a much broader audience throughout the year.
The event was attended by local civic leadership including the Leader of Malvern Hills District Council, Cllr John Gallagher; Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, Cllr Daniel Walton, West Malvern councillor, John Raine and his wife Susan, as well as Cllr Clive Hooper from Malvern Town Council. Representatives from local educational and youth providers included Heart of Worcestershire College, the University of Worcester, Dyson Perrins, Tudor Grange Academies Trust and Malvern Cube Projects, along with Newtown Football Club.
A commemorative sign for The Canopy was designed by Ella Rogers, a local primary school pupil, who was present at the opening to see her design unveiled. Her involvement was a fitting reminder of exactly who the centre exists to serve.
Nick Hands, CEO of Boundless Outdoors, spoke at the ceremony about the journey behind the project and what the new space means for the children who visit.
"This building is so much more than a dining room. The old one was 110 years old and had given incredible service to thousands of young people, but it was time. The Canopy has been designed to sit right within the trees, so that even when children come inside they never lose that connection to the outdoors.
We often forget that sitting down together for a meal has become a rarity for many families. This space gives children the chance to do exactly that: to gather, to talk, to laugh and to dream up what tomorrow might bring. That is what outdoor education is really about, and now we have a building that is genuinely worthy of it."
Beverley Nielsen, Chair of Boundless Outdoors, welcomed the civic significance of the occasion.
"It means a great deal to us that Councillor Tor Pingree, Worcester's youngest Mayor and someone whose mayoral theme is community, chose to be here today to do the honours and that we're joined by so many from our civic leadership.
"The Canopy is an investment in young people and in Malvern. I'm hugely conscious of the Boundless Outdoors team's achievement in seeing this project through to successful completion and congratulate Nick and team wholeheartedly. I don't think Nick or I could have dreamt 13 years ago that we'd be standing here today overlooking this amazing view. As a board, we've consistently backed this financial investment, which aside from the welcome grant we received from County Council, is only possible because of successive surpluses delivered since we took over this community business over a decade ago."
Boundless Outdoors was established in 2013 following Worcestershire County Council's decision to outsource its outdoor education provision. Since then, the not-for-profit has grown from a turnover of around £500,000 to £1.4 million, acquired a second site at Bell Heath in Bromsgrove and invested close to £2 million across both centres. In 2025/26, Boundless welcomed 181 schools across its two sites, including 110 from Worcestershire, providing 16,938 overnight stays for pupils.
The Canopy project was delivered by a local team. The building was designed by architect Richard Painter, with M&E engineering by Matt Cartwright. Construction was carried out by Dean and Ben Barnet, with lighting provided by Thorlux Lighting. Financial support for the project came from Worcestershire County Council.