Derry Community Groups Make a Real Splash!
As part of the Venture Outdoors – Creating Healthy Communities programme, local community groups Derry Bytes, Derry Chinese Welfare Association and Spectrum 13 have each taken part in a series of exciting outdoor activities sessions throughout Northern
Some of these adventure activities include coasteering and surfing on the North Coast, climbing and abseiling in the Mourne Mountains and navigating a tree top adventure courses at the Jungle NI in Moneymore. Each of these sessions were a real success and highlight just how beneficial outdoor activities can be for those from disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds or indeed those with disabilities.
Michelle Nash from Derry Bytes, an organisation working primarily with young people from disadvantaged communities in the North West, comments “With great support from all the instructors, our young people gained confidence taking part in activities that they would never dreamed attempting before. We are very grateful to Venture Outdoors for the opportunity provided and hope to get the chance to work with the team again in the future."
Claire Overend, Venture Outdoors Development Officer, explains “These activity sessions are fantastic opportunities for groups to enjoy getting outdoors and exploring the amazing natural playground on offer, right on our doorsteps. To see groups out encouraging each other surfing on the North Coast or working together to tackle a tree top adventure course in the Sperrins is hard to beat.”
After taking part in a coasteering session last week, one young person from the Derry Bytes community group commented, “It’s not very often I get to try things like this but I absolutely loved every second of it”.
The Venture Outdoors Project is a three year initiative of the Countryside Access and Activities Network and has been provided with a grant of £500,000 from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities Programme and Ulster Garden Villages. Their vision is to enable groups of people with disabilities as well as those from disadvantaged backgrounds and minority ethnic communities to access the wide variety of outdoor activities available across Northern Ireland.
For more information on the Venture Outdoors – Creating Healthy Communities Project contact Maeve Curran 02890 303 930 or email [email protected]