Outdoor education company is safe and sound in new Llangollen HQ

Outdoor education company Safe and Sound Outdoors have completed the fit-out of the former HSBC branch in Llangollen.

With seven staff, Safe and Sound was first established by Director Craig Forde in 2007. The company offers a range of outdoor adventure activities including white water rafting, gorge walking, rock climbing and river bugs. Corporate clients include Shropshire County Council and BT. Outdoor education programmes are also delivered for residential care children.

A £150,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales has now enabled the company to fully renovate the new premises on Bridge Street with the creation of seven letting bedrooms, dedicated classrooms, a coffee shop and outdoor centre complete with changing rooms, showers and equipment storage rooms.

Director Craig Forde said: “Our stag and hen party customer base remains as popular as ever but in recent years we have diversified our customer offering. We now provide bespoke training and development packages plus the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

“It was a natural evolution to want to own our own premises with the space to provide accommodation for guests so we were delighted to purchase the former HSBC branch when the opportunity arose. Our new home is perfectly situated alongside the River Dee and we are now able to offer accommodation on site along with an excellent independent coffee shop available to all.

“The funding from the development bank has made all the difference; we simply couldn’t have completed the refurbishment or created the new space without their help. Their flexible approach, fast decision making and proactive support means that we are now ready for the next step of our journey, meeting and exceeding customer expectations. With the help of our builders, G Construction and our designer Hannah of Rosehip and Ink we have realised our dreams.” 

Chris Hayward is an Investment Executive with the Development Bank of Wales. He said: “Fast becoming the adventure tourism capital of Europe, north Wales boasts a world-class portfolio of adrenaline-fuelled outdoor activity providers. Safe and Sound Outdoors really is the go-to outdoor adventure company in the area.

“This is an exciting sector that offers great potential hence our support for Safe and Sound Outdoors. The company has performed well over recent years with a steady increase in sales and profit. Our funding will now enable further growth with the renovation of premises that are fit for purpose and able to attract more business. We wish Craig and the team every success.”