In Newtown, a 10 week hill walking programme has just drawn to a close - a programme for those looking to improve their wellbeing through being active, meeting new friends and discovering new places on their doorstep. It was lovely to catch up with some of the group at the end of the 10 sessions to find out how they had got on. One participant summed it up nicely when she said “the Outdoor Partnership walks have made the world of difference to me.” It won’t be the end of the journey for this group and they all hope to continue walking and even take on some navigation training to explore some places off the beaten track. Huge thanks to Helen Menhinick at Bryn Walking for organising the programme and to walk leader Janet for providing such a welcoming and enjoyable walk programme.
The next 10-week programme has already started in Llandrindod Wells! We’d like to congratulate Stephanie Chaplin of the Mid Wales Mentoring programme on passing her Climbing Wall Instructor and Lowland Leader Award in the 4 months since turning 18. This is a phenomenal achievement for such a young instructor and I am sure just the start of great things to come. As well as being a young leader in the Cadets, a youth ambassador for DofE and studying for her Welsh Bac, she also gives up a lot of her time to volunteer at the inclusive climbing club sessions we have held in Llangorse and has helped many young people to reach new heights as well.
Meanwhile, over in Brecon and Ystradgynlais, adults with additional learning needs have been taking part in various activities, from canoeing to bushcraft and orienteering and a dedicated few went on to complete a 4 day Activity Skills Programme which covered outdoor skills such as planning a day out, map reading, packing a bag and preparing for the weather. I suspect it won’t be the last we see of this lot either. Thanks to Woodlands OEC, Gary Evans Outdoors, Manzoku Climbing and Mountaineering and Mountain Trike for running such great activities and to Simon Chaplin for volunteering his expertise and support as well. To date, we’ve had a meet and greet with the Mourne Rangers and TOP, navigating our way through Donard Forest Park, whilst having some fun along the way! We’ve had our Trash Free Trails, looking after our heavily trafficked trails and sharing the findings in unique ways. We then made some creative artwork with what was found. We’ve looked at Respecting Rural Businesses and the impact of our pets. We met some farmers in the Trassey area to discuss the impacts of dogs, tourism and many other topics. Finally, we’ve had Cycling and Trails, with the support of Life Adventure we rented some bikes with the MTB experts to explore our impact and how we can do our best to conserve when enjoying our beautiful trails and discussed controversial topics such as natural trails.
