We are a small family run outdoor activities business based just outside of Bishop Auckland. Graeme has worked in the outdoors for many years in various settings and has a passion to make outdoor activities accessible for everyone to try and take part in. Graeme holds many outdoor qualifications and is highly skilled in Youth work and working with people from all walks of life. We started F.E.R.N Outdoor Adventures C.I.C. back in 2017 and it has grown over the last few years. Our aim was to make outdoor activities easy to access for everyone no matter their age, sex, religion, ability or their background. In December 2019 we approached a local land owner to seek permission to set up and run our very own Forest School and run outdoor activities on the site.
In January 2020 we set to work developing the site to make it usable for our activities and things were just starting to take off when we had to stop delivering sessions due to Covid-19. Due to the Covid-19 situation Graeme has not been able to carry out freelance work for other outdoor providers and we have had limited money coming into the business which has put a stop on us developing the site more and delivering other activities. The money earned from freelance work went into the business to help build and provide outdoor activities at our site, or at least that was the plan.
The money raised through our appeal will help to develop the site and enable us to offer more activities to individuals, families, groups and school in fact anyone who wants to come and give outdoor activities a go.
We are hoping in October 2020 to aim our activities towards schools and groups who will be struggling with the Covid-19 situation and may need extra help and support to provide a healthy alternative to been in the class room all day every day.
All of our activities are outdoor based therefore encourage health and well being, social and emotional skills and much more. They bring people together from all backgrounds and help to build friendships and bonds that may not be brought together under normal circumstances. We are very friendly and always very inclusive which is why we feel our activities offer so much more. The actives we have to offer are Forest School, Bush-Craft, Archery, Axe Throwing, Geo-Caching, Navigation Training, Guided Walks, Mountain Days, Team Development Days, Over Night Bivi (in Hammocks) We feel that when the site is fully developed it will be a great venue for many people to come and use and explore the great outdoors.