An outdoor training centre at the heart of the Lake District plans to undergo a £10 million modernisation programme over the next five years - if plans get the go ahead.

Not for profit organisation, the Brathay Hall Trust, has submitted a series of ambitious plans to the Lake District National Park Authority to improve and update the Ambleside centre's facilities.

Brathay Hall has provided opportunities for thousands of young people and adults to experience the great outdoors over its 50-year history Today the 350-acre site offers a wide range of facilities for school children, youth groups and corporate guests.

The extensive plans are called Building for The Future' and are to be carried out over a five-year period with a projected cost of £2 million a year.

The modernisation will include repair and renewal of existing accommodation on the site and new accommodation blocks - increasing youth capacity by 40 per cent - as well as a new activity centre aimed for young people on the site.

Brathay Hall Trust chief executive, Brian Liversidge said the plans would preserve the natural beauty and architectural heritage of the estate but would help the trust expand its work with young people.

"We are thinking ahead for the next 50 years. Building for the Future will enable tens of thousands of young people to explore their potential and consider the realms of possibility," he said.

The Brathay Hall Trust was founded in 1946 by Francis Scott, then chairman of Provincial, "to provide opportunities, at an important time in their lives, for young people to face real challenges, exercise genuine responsibility and learn to use their abilities." He set aside the Brathay estate on the north west tip of Windermere for this purpose.

The trust ran courses for 5,200 young people and 3,000 adults in 2003.

Courses for young people range from residentials for teenagers "at risk" to apprentice programmes. In the corporate arena, Brathay works with a mix of public, private and not-for-profit enterprises and programmes range from graduate development to strategic leadership and from team building to organisational change.

"Not a brick will be laid until we've raised the £2.6 million needed for phase one (two new youth centres, five new lodges and a new kit store)," said Mr Liversedge. "We are appealing to people who share our passion for young people, to help further the founder's purpose for Brathay."