A local success story is being celebrated in Okehampton this month with the 25th anniversary of a youth hostel and adventure centre which has helped thousands of young people enjoy the wilderness of north Dartmoor.

Back in 1997, local businessman and outdoor enthusiast John Elson wanted to bring an adventure centre and youth hostel to the town.

‘I thought it would be a good place, right on the edge of the moor,’ he said. ‘At that time, I had a couple of businesses in Okehampton. I contacted the YHA who weren’t interested in funding it at all.

‘They were really only interested in coastal locations in the Westcountry, but they agreed that if I funded it they would badge it and support it. I looked for a suitable site and this one at the goods shed was the best option.’

At that time the railway station and the goods shed were both in a sorry state, unused since the passenger service had been closed since 1973. Years ago, the goods shed would have been where all sorts of freight delivered by the railway would have been unloaded - onto the platform within the shed - and then loaded up into carriages.

With the mainline passenger service gone, British Rail was looking to offload them, and both the goods shed and railway station were passed to the county council. While the railway station was restored by the county council, with a view to re-establish a service , John took on the goods shed.

‘I persuaded the county council to lease it to me on the premise that I would bring a youth hostel to Okehampton,’ he said. ‘I raised the money privately and county helped by giving us a rent free 15-year period. It was a derelict shed, it hadn’t been used for 20 years. There was a platform in the shed. We took out both the platform and the railway line and then built the hostel within the confines of the building.

‘We took it over in April 1997 and we opened for business in August 1997. It was quite a fast build and we had a lot of people working on it. We had a building company at the time. Probably 25 years on we couldn’t have done it, we would now need £2 million rather than the £200,000 we had, but I had my own team and my own local contacts. We had plans drawn up we got the borough council to approve the plans. They were very supportive as well.’

‘In 2001 we were nearly closed down due to Foot and Mouth but the borough council helped us again. They lent us some money to keep the business going. Obviously we couldn’t run activities during that period.’

‘This year has been the busiest school period since we opened it. I think that is partly because of the pandemic, people that haven’t been away for a couple of years – we have schools from all over the country that come to us. That was my main driver when I set up the centre, because I have always personally been involved in outdoor activities as a volunteer.

‘I was a team leader for the North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team and I have been a rock climber all my life so that was really what I was passionate about. The youth hostel was so we could add activities for young people.

The business Adventure Okehampton now has two sites – a youth hostel by the station and another up above Okehampton. Ten years afterwards, they also bought Bracken Tor nearby, on the edge of the moor.

Trading as Adventure Okehampton, they offer adventure holidays to school groups. Every year, at the start of their summer holidays, the Year 7 cohort from Okehampton College come for adventures – from abseiling to rock climbing. ‘That is supported by the Okehampton United Charities,’ said John.

Youngsters come from much further afield, but also from Plymouth.

We have been amazed. We have had a lot of schools from Plymouth,’ said John. ‘A little story comes to mind. We had a school in and I was taking them up on he moore and one of the lads said ‘SIr, are we allowed to walk on the grass?’

‘Because we have been open 25 years now, we have got some families coming back saying I stayed here with school. Now they are back with their own family.’