One of the key figures in the foundation of Ilkley’s Nell Bank outdoor education centre brought the youngest generation of his own family to an open day to see how the centre has developed.

Former Lord Mayor of Bradford, Paul Hockney – the brother of artist David Hockney – was said to be astonished by all the Denton Road centre has to offer today, when he visited Nell Bank with his family at the weekend.

Mr Hockney was Lord Mayor during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year, 1977, and supported giving the land to the trust which has run the centre, working in partnership with Bradford Council ever since. The trust also won backing of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Trust, to establish a registered charitable trust.

The open day on Saturday gave grown-ups as well as youngsters a chance to see – and try out – some of the outdoor activities on offer at the centre, ranging from dipping for pond creatures to exploring the woods and feeding bears – actually harmless plastic litter bins.

Although often visited by schoolchildren, parents rarely get to see inside the centre.

Hundreds of parents and children attended the fun day, with other activities on offer including a chance to ‘ski down a glacier’, play at being a woodland creature or tackle on assault course.

Nell Bank Centre opened its £460,000 residential unit for disabled children earlier this year, largely funded by the Government’s Aiming High initiative. It also received a £2,000 National Lottery Award in 2008 towards the same unit.

The lottery fund went on to name the centre the best environmental project in country, after a nationwide public vote.

The centre is already planning to hold another family fun day next year, on Saturday May 14.