Bows and arrows come to Dobroyd Castle

A FORMER Buddhist retreat is to be transformed into an activity centre following the latest acquisition by Robinwood Activity Centres.

Around £800,000 will be spent on turning Dobroyd Castle near Todmorden into an all action residential activity centre complete with zip wire, giant swing, obstacle course, and problem solving.

There are also plans to build a lake within the 19th Century mansion’s grounds for canoeing and raft building.

Residents will even have activities to occupy them on rainy days with indoor facilities to include archery, climbing, caving, trapeze and piranha pool.

Dobroyd Castle will be Robinwood’s third activity centre. Martin Vasey, the firm’s managing director, said that healthy demand had meant Robinwood needed another site.

“For some time we have had to turn many schools who wanted to book with us away because even though we extended our season from early January to December, we were already fully booked up with schools who return to us year after year,” he said.

“We are therefore delighted that we have managed to secure funding from RBS and are now accepting bookings for our new Robinwood Centre, which will open in March 2009.”

Monks left the Losang Dragpa Buddhist Centre suddenly last year despite being awarded an English heritage grant to repair the historic building.

It was built as a honeymoon home for local mill owner John Fielden’s wife Ruth by John Gibson.

The castle remained in the Fielden family until 1942 when it was acquired the Government and run by the Home Office as an Approved School for Boys, and then as the independent Castle School for Boys, which closed its doors in 1989.

A covenant restricts the castle’s use to either the provision of residential accommodation and care, use as a hospital or nursing home or as a residential school, college or training centre.

The sale includes a former stable block, three accommodation blocks containing 40 bedrooms, a six-bedroomed cottage, gym, workshop garden and grounds.

Todmorden-based Robinwood was advised on the deal by Manchester accountants Beever and Struthers.