Training began in West Denbighshire in 1948 when a Wood Badge Preliminary Training Course was held in the grounds of Heronwater School, by the lake of that name. This was located on the Coed Coch Estate at Dolwen, Colwyn Bay and the Land Owner of the Estate was a Miss M. Broderick, who was very much inclined to support the Scout Movement.  The Staff of the original course were:- F E (Kim) Measures,(DCC), Lt. Col. (Col) J M Evans, K D R Roberts and possibly others whose names are now lost.  As other courses were run others members joined the Staff, these were:- Lindsey Sellors, (ADCC), Stan Littlewood (ADCC),John Swarbrick, E G Collier, E W Whitley, J M Griffiths, D Holmwood. The courses were run on a `Troop’ basis and the 1st  Coed Coch Troop came into being. This was not an official troop but purely for training purposes. The Troop scarf was Royal Blue with an `H’ embroidered at the point, for members of the Staff.  As help was required to run the courses Senior Scouts were enlisted to form a service team whose members were known as `Herons’. As time went by there was much competition to become a `Heron’ and new members had to have attended several courses, particularly the Venturer Badge course before being allowed to wear the coveted `H’ on their scarf  After the initial course the training turned to providing courses for the scout proficiency badges. These were usually run as a joint venture with the Scout and Senior Scout badge requirements i.e. Camper/Camp Warden – Backwoodsman/Pioneer and many others. At the beginning the courses were held at Heronwater, which was a great favourite as the training site was alongside Heronwater Lake.  In the middle 1950s Miss Broderick sold, for a ` peppercorn’ fee of £300 a piece of land of approximately two acres to the West Denbighshire Scout County for the use of the Training Team. This land was developed and various building including a large Group Room and toilets were erected. This enabled training to be held almost throughout the year, when required. This site was to be known as ‘COLWYN’  Another Preliminary Training Course was held in June 1953 and was attended by Scouters from across North Wales In February 1955 an Action and Ideas weekend was attended by Scouts from across North Wales.  In due course West Denbighshire was joined by East Denbighshire and the Denbighshire Training Team came into being. Although the main training area was still at Colwyn courses were held throughout the two counties. More Scouters joined the ranks and J. O.Clarke and W (Bill) Thomas helped to swell the ranks.  In 1960 a full Wood Badge course was held at Colwyn and again Scouters from across the whole of North Wales attended. They were also joined by one, Phil Hughes, a Sea Scout, of Long Eaton, Derbyshire, who later became a member of the Training Team.  When the County boundaries were changed in 1974, the Denbighshire Training Team became the Clwyd Training Team. It was about this time that instructions came from The Scout Training Centre at Gilwell Park, that training was to be concentrated on Scout Leaders and this was done at the expense of training courses for the boys themselves.  Around 1976 and onwards several Mountain Activity weekends were held at Cornel and the other Scout mountain activity centre in North Wales. These were organized by Stan Littlewood, ADC Colwyn Bay and later DC, Llandudno and were staffed, in the main, by the Venture Scouts of the 5th. Colwyn Bay, without whom, the weekends could not have taken place.  Members of the West Denbighshire, East Denbighshire and, later, the Clwyd Training Teams 

• F E (Kim) Measures, Deputy Camp Chief, 
• (DCC)  
• Lt.Col. J M Evans, 
• K D R Roberts 
• L S (Lin) Sellors, (ADCC). 
• S C (Stan) Littlewood (ADCC)  
• J M Griffiths. 
• E G Collier. 
• E W Whitley. 
• J M Swarbrick.  
• W (Bill) Thomas  
• J 0 Clarke. 
• D Holmwood.  
• S PAnsell                       
• L Michael  
• J M Williams 
• B R Allport.  
• K Jones  
• P K J Hughes 
• A Daniels 
• F Sykes 
• D (Dot) Parry, Akela Leader,  
• M A (Mikki) Littlewood.  
• A Williams. 
• A Morris. 
• G Butler 
• E Sellors 

The site remained in regular use until 1975 but with the development of the North Wales Training Grounds at Hawarden, the Welsh Scout Council decided that “Colwyn” should be sold.  Some of the proceeds being used towards the development of Cornel by Lake Crafnant in the Conwy Valley as an activity centre.