SIR - I am appalled at the county council's decision to withdraw financial support for its outdoor education centres at West Malvern and Llanrug in Snowdonia.

The Worcestershire centres are better than others as they are staffed by highly qualified, dedicated, versatile and experienced staff who are able to devise personalised programmes and cater for the particular needs of different groups in advance of their visits.

Other centres cannot personalise their programmes in the same way and tend to offer a limited menu of activities that result in experiences that, while positive, just don't measure up to Worcestershire's.

I have seen the benefits to our three children of residential visits to West Malvern and Llanrug.

The quality of the staff, the range of activities and the positive ethos ensure challenge and excitement in very well-managed environments.

Children and young people develop their spirit of adventure, initiative, self-confidence, team working skills and self respect.

I suspect that many county councillors have considerable sympathy with the aims of outdoor education but do not recognise the quality of their own centres and certainly don't appreciate the long-term damage of forcing them to close.

Forcing closure would be foolish and a shameful legacy for this council and its officers.

If you also wish to try to save this top quality provision for Worcestershire, write to your local councillors or Richard Hubbard, director of children's services at County Hall and register your vote of support at www.richardburt.org Sara Drewett, Worcester