Damian appointed for job with world class views

An adventure and business management expert has started work in a job with one of the best views in the world.

Damian James, age 35, has been appointed to transform Swansea Council’s outdoor activity service, making it more marketable, competitive and commercially viable than ever before.

The council runs two outdoor activity centres on Gower – one in Port Eynon and the other in Rhossili Bay, a landmark that was named among the top 10 beaches on the planet by leading travel website TripAdvisor in 2014.

Due to its ageing condition and the costs needed to refurbish the building, Dan-y-Coed house in West Cross, which has also acted as base for the service in the past, is being sold.

The decision followed a comprehensive review involving staff, trade unions and comparisons with other local authority providers as the council looks to make the service sustainable in future, while tackling a major budget deficit.

The outdoor centres are used as bases for vulnerable children and other groups to take part in activities ranging from surfing and canoeing to abseiling and orienteering.

Damian, who has a degree in outdoor activity management from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Swansea, previously spent seven years as director of youth services at St John Ambulance. He’s also worked as an expedition leader, snowboarding instructor and lifeguard in mainland Europe and North America.

Damian said: “The job is ideal for me because it combines outdoor activities with Swansea – a place that holds a special place in my heart, having spent four years here as a student.

“This is an exciting time because it’s effectively the start of a new service. The outdoor activity industry is a challenging marketplace nowadays, so part of my role is to make the Swansea offer more competitive, visible, eye-catching and commercially viable, helping sustain the service in future while ensuring clients leave our Gower centres with hugely positive memories that will last a lifetime.”

Cllr Christine Richards, Swansea Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “As a council, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is embedded into everything we do. A great deal of consultation took place with our young people about the future of the outdoor activity service in these difficult financial times, and their feedback showed they preferred an option where provision was still available. This is why we’ll be focussing on the Rhossili and Port Eynon centres in future, under Damian’s leadership, as we look to further improve the service.”

The closeness of the two Gower centres, Damian says, is an advantage.

“Our two centres are only five miles apart, so that makes the service more logistically straightforward than ever before,” he said. “I’ll also be looking to tie in with national initiatives as much as possible, such as Visit Wales’ on-going Year of Adventure campaign.”