The new-look complex, owned by Liverpool city council, now features a massive new zip wire, climbing towers with scramble nets, high and low rope adventure activities, abseiling and an underground cave complex in the woods.  A lake has also been created for water activities such as sailing, canoeing and rafting.

Councillor Paul Clein, executive member for children's services, said: "Ask any child who has been to Colomendy what they thought of the place and they'd tell you it was the experience of a lifetime. 

"However, the site had seen better days and schools have been voting with their feet and starting to use other more outdoor centres.  It has been badly in need of major investment to make it more attractive to the modern needs of today's youngsters.

"The city council is committed to providing a modern, state of the art outdoor education centre at Colomendy, fit for the 21st century - and that is what we are now delivering."

The centre, in Loggerheads near Mold, was planned and built by the National Camps Corporation for children evacuated from their homes in Liverpool during World War Two. It was bought by the city council in 1957, and since then more than 350,000 youngsters have used the centre. However, the buildings, services and accommodation badly need updating and in recent years it had become less attractive to schools and had been losing £1 million a year.