Pestalozzi buyer finally revealed

The charity has sold its 138 acre site, in Ladybird Lane, to PGL Travel, which provides school activity courses and summer camps for children in the UK.

Pestalozzi’s CEO, Sue Walton, said: “There has been a great deal of speculation regarding the future of the village and we are delighted to announce that PGL Travel Limited, the UK’s leading outdoor education provider, will be the new owner.”

Pestalozzi and PGL were both established in 1957 and have excellent track records of providing educational opportunities to young people.

John Firth, PGL’s CEO, said: “PGL takes great pride in delivering inspirational learning through adventure and we are looking forward to doing just that here in the heart of the High Weald AONB.”

He added “PGL knows Pestalozzi very well having run adventure courses in the Pestalozzi Village for a number of years, so when the opportunity to buy the estate came up we were very excited at the prospect.”

Selling the estate was not an easy decision for the charity to take but Pestalozzi’s board of trustees recognised that this was the only way to ensure the continuation of the organisation’s work with high achieving, low income young people.

Chairman of the Pestalozzi board of trustees, Professor Stuart Laing said: “Agreeing the sale with PGL means that we can now move forward confidently with our new scholarship programme.

“From September of this year we will be sponsoring students who would not otherwise be able to complete their secondary education to undertake the International Baccalaureate Diploma with United World Colleges.”

Professor Laing added: “We know our students will thrive in UWC’s multi-cultural environment just as they have here in the village in Sedlescombe.”