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We’re offering exciting residential trips!

Wow, what a year it’s been! Like many organisations, BF Adventure has had a challenging year but we’re pleased to be in a position to offer some exciting residential trips and special offers for schools in 2021. We sincerely hope that these support you in overcoming the impacts of the pandemic and will do our best to provide real value and meet your needs. If you have any questions or requests, please email us.

Here’s what’s on offer…

1. Discounted residential packages & day visits

We’ve seen the hit that C19 has had on the opportunities for children to interact, build social skills and learn from new experiences. Our packages are designed in line with the PSHE curriculum, with activities that build teamwork, critical thinking, communication, resilience, problem solving and confidence. We’re offering:

2. Our unique Via Ferrata activity and a FREE visit for teachers!

This summer we launched our incredibly popular Via Ferrata, the only experience of its kind in the south of England! Pupils get to journey through our historic granite quarries in an epic adventure as they scale cliff faces, wobble their way across our 70m long High Wire Bridge and end on the Zip Wire finale! Perfect for children aged 8+, this activity conquers fears and bonds groups as they undertake the ultimate adventure experience together.

In Spring we’ll be hosting a FREE TEACHER WEEKEND, where you can come and try the activity! We’ll also be giving tours of our accommodation and providing an overview of our activities and catering, so you can get a feel for what our school trips are like. Please do email us if you’d like to be kept in the loop!

3. Free site visits and sample activities

Considering coming to us for a residential and want to get a feel for us sooner? We provide free site visits, along with free activity samples! These are open to teachers as well as children, whether that be some of your class pupils or your own family. Please email us to arrange!

4. The chance to refer us and receive a £100 activity voucher

Are you able to refer us to another school? Simply email us and copy in the teacher who’s interested. If they book a residential with us, we’ll offer you £100 off future activities. You can choose to use this against a future school booking OR a personal family booking!

5. The chance to win a £25 activity voucher

Our webpage has just been updated and we’d really appreciate your feedback. Did you find all the information you were looking for? Was it helpful? Let us know by 11th December and you’ll automatically be entered into a prize draw to win £25 worth of activities, which you could put towards a school trip or enjoy for personal use with our Via Ferrata, watersports, climbing and more!

We hope these offers support you through what has been a very challenging time. Please do get in touch with us if you have any questions!

Best wishes

Team BF Adventure

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We are still running our core services in line with National Youth Agency Guidance and are looking to support as many young people in need as is safe to do so through 1:1 provision. This is a crucial time for Cornwall’s most vulnerable children, whose challenges have been compounded by the impacts of the pandemic. There’s a big demand for our help, with us supporting over 60 young people a week. 

You can help us make a difference, at no extra cost! Here’s how…

Support us when you shop!

With Christmas around the corner, there is a quick and easy way to generate donations for our charity work at NO EXTRA COST to you! Simply shop online for gifts like normal, via Give as you Live Online. It’s free, there’s a handy app and there are over 4,000 stores. Alternatively, why not try AmazonSmile! Operated by Amazon, it has the same products, prices, and shopping features, but 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products will be donated to us!

Nominate us!

Please would you nominate us for the Ecclesiastical Movement for Good awards? Your nomination could be the one that helps us win. £1,000 would make a real difference to the work we do supporting those with major challenges. Click here and then search for us with our charity number 1071862.

Thank you so much for your support!

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Our charity services are still open

We want to support you during lockdown and luckily are still able to run our core services in line with National Youth Agency Guidance. We can and will remain open and will look to support as many young people in need as is safe to do so through 1:1 provision. If you’ve any questions then please get in touch with us at skillsforlife@bfadventure.org.

Our Online Chatty Café is in full swing!

We have received National Lottery funding to support parents who are impacted by the lockdown. As a result, we’re offering 1:1 online/phone support and group support through our online Chatty Cafe. Please contact kim.butler@bfadventure.org for more information!

Tip to take care of yourself during lockdown

Finally, stay safe and take care of yourself! Here are some tips for looking after your mental and physical health during lockdown!

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A huge thank you goes to Children in Need for raising money for our vital charity services.

Here’s a quote from one of the Young People we’ve had the privilege of working with:

“Thank you for giving BF the money for me to come, I feel like before I started, I wasn’t myself but it’s helped me to get back to where I was before and be more confident. I want to come back and volunteer when I’m old enough.”

Our summer Head Out programme supported 16 young people through a 5 week programme of activities and informal education designed to support them with their mental well-being. We know that being in the outdoors really helps people to reduce their stress and release endorphins; we use our covid safe outdoor activities, our workshops and the sheer beauty of our site to support young people to talk about their feelings, develop coping strategies and make new friends. After a challenging spring and early summer this was needed more than ever and we are so grateful to Children in Need and the public who donate their time and money to make a difference to the lives of children and young people.

To read more about our charity work and impacts, take a look at our charity page.

Thank you!

Team BF Adventure

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Looking for an epic adrenaline adventure that will push your limits? Fancy an unforgettable half term activity, or a Halloween event that tests your mental and physical stamina whilst creating amazing memories? Follow Johnny and Saffy’s experience at Via Ferrata Cornwall to get a flavour of what you can expect…

Via Ferrata Cornwall fear conquered

Johnny Cowling gears up to face his fear of heights and gets prepared for climbing, vertigo, high ropes and zip-lining…here’s what lies ahead:

Via Ferrata safety

First you get help from instructors to clip into the Via Ferrata system – you stay clipped in the whole time, so there’s no risk of accidentally detaching yourself and falling!

Via Ferrata Cornwall climbing

Then you get to grips with Via Ferrata, starting off at ground level and steadily climbing higher, where you practice letting go! Good job Johnny!

Cornwall outdoor adventure

Keep going – up and up until…

Via Ferrata Cornwall High Wire Bridge

High Wire Bridge time! 70 meters long of wobbling, hilarity and telling yourself ‘you can do it!’

High ropes Cornwall

That’s fear conquered right there!

Via Ferrata Cornwall climbing

Next is tackling the big quarry! Traverse across using the metal rungs, or if you’re a climbing pro then why not make use of the natural rock crevices to move around!

Via Ferrata Cornwall adventureScale the rock face 20 meters above our water filled quarry as you tackle the high challenges!

Zip line Cornwall

And be rewarded by soaring through the air on our Zip Wire, taking in incredible views!

Thanks for coming Saffy and Johnny, we loved having you!

Fancy joining in their footsteps? Check out what’s on offer…

Half Term Sessions

Via Ferrata sessions are running every day of October, including Half Term! The Adventure Zone is perfect for families with kids aged 8+ and the Full Classic route suits kids aged 10+ through to full-on adrenaline junkies!

Halloween Sessions

Now imagine Via Ferrata in the dark, with spooky surprises and the extra challenge of fishing for pumpkins at height and you have our Halloween sessions! Check out our family-friendly dusk sessions or full-on night time sessions guided by torch light only – for those aged 13+!

Win a £50 Via Ferrata Voucher!

In the week leading up to Halloween, we’ll be running a pumpkin contest! Simply carve your most scary pumpkin and bring it in (open from 24th to 31st October inclusive).

All entrants will receive a free Halloween biscuit and the winning prize is a £50 Via Ferrata voucher to use in 2021, plus a Via Ferrata car sticker!

Get carving!

November onwards

From November onwards we’re still open – but only to advance group bookings.

The Cornish Barista

Our on-site Café overlooks beautiful views of the quarry – so you can watch your friends and family in action for at least part of their adventure! After all the exhilaration there’s nothing like some amazing locally sourced cake or lunch to re-fuel you. Plus, 10% of the income goes to BF Adventure’s charity work!

Where your money goes

100% of profits go to BF Adventure’s charity work, supporting Cornwall’s disadvantaged children and young people facing some of life’s toughest challenges – so by facing your own fears, you’re helping these young people overcome their barriers too, such as mental health difficulties, behavioural challenges and other issues linked with Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Need more convincing?

Check out what others have to say on Trip Advisor!

Questions?

Check out the website, browse the FAQs or contact the team on hello@viaferratacornwall.co.uk

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Team BF Adventure & Via Ferrata Cornwall

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We’ve launched Via Ferrata Cornwall, the place to come for an epic adrenaline adventure that’ll push your limits! Get ready to conquer your fears, have fun and do something unique. All profits will support our vital charity work with disadvantaged children and young people. The Via Ferrata opens on 26th July and is suitable for adventuresome 8 year olds through to daring thrill-seekers! 

Via Ferrata Cornwall climbing

What is a Via Ferrata?

Originating in the Alps during World War I to enable troops to cross mountains, a Via Ferrata is a climbing route like no other. Metal steps, ladders, suspension bridges and zip wires make it one of the most adrenaline-filled climbing activities worldwide. Sharing our stunning 60 acre site near Penryn, Via Ferrata Cornwall will give you the ultimate high challenge as you journey across historic granite quarries in an unforgettable adventure.

With training provided, you’ll develop your climbing skills as you traverse across quarry walls over 20m high, conquer your fears on the High Wire Bridge where you’ll cross the quarry on a 70m long single strand of wire and leap from the clifftops on one of the most scenic zip-lines in Cornwall.

Bookings can now be made through the website for 26th July onwards!

Our crowdfund campaign rewards adrenaline-seekers and corporates

Via Ferrata Cornwall already has funding ring-fenced to complete the routes and the build is in full swing! The project is supported by Resonance Limited with a Social investment Tax Relief (SITR) Loan Funding and a Business Investment for Growth Productivity grant.

However, we want to share this incredible journey with supporters! So, we’re offering crowdfunders the chance to join our exclusive founders club, gaining early access to the course, discounted entry, membership packages for locals, family/sole use bubble sessions and the chance to help the company to develop the experience as it grows. For corporates, sponsorship opportunities include unique Via Ferrata team-building experiences and PR.

The crowdfund is now live and can be found here!

Share our crowdfund for the chance to WIN £100 VIA FERRATA VOUCHER!

All you have to do is go to our Facebook page and follow 2 simple steps.

We hope to have you join us!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email hello@viaferratacornwall.co.uk and we will be happy to help.

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To adhere to Government guidance, support efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 and promote social distancing, our school residentials are being put on hold. In addition, we are no longer running our childcare activities and adventure sessions until further notice.

As a charity supporting Cornwall’s most vulnerable young people, we have been asked to stay open by statutory services in order to provide our core services to those who need our support during this challenging time. For many young people, home is not a safe place to be. To mitigate the risks, we are undertaking all necessary measures and following all Government guidelines. We will review and update our approach on a daily basis and continue to support our young people as long as we are safely able to do so.

We will be looking at various financial support packages and are determined to continue to deliver the very best service to these young people.

Any support though this challenging time would be greatly appreciated. You can read our Social Impact Report to see the difference we make, the overwhelming demand for our services and how valuable any contribution will be.

Here are some ways you could help:

  1. We will re-open as soon as it is safe to do so and will be creating the option for you to help us by ‘paying it forward’ and buying an activity voucher to use against a future booking. If interested, please email eleanor.devenish@bfadventure.org.
  2. Any donations, whether one-off or monthly, would be extremely welcome through this difficult time and you can set this up here.
  3. Support us when you shop! Give as you Live is a free and easy way to raise money for charity, just by shopping online. Once you’ve signed up, you can browse their website for the store you want to shop with and the store will donate a percentage of what you spend. You can find out more here.
  4. We will be launching a crowdfunder shortly – please do support us where you can. We’ll be sharing details on Facebook soon.
  5. Please spread the word, follow us on social media and share this page with anyone you think would be interested!

Thank you so much in advance for your support, together we will continue to help those who need urgent protection.

MORE ABOUT BF ADVENTURE:

We work with ~ 4,000 young people a year, of whom 500 face multiple disadvantages including rurality and poverty. Over 200 receive specialist long term support from the charity to face learning and/or physical disabilities, behavioural challenges, mental ill health and other issues associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences.

THE NEED

  • Cornwall is one of the poorest counties in the UK, with 30k people living in poverty. Its NEET (not in education, employment or training) population is above England’s average for 16-17 year-olds.
  • There is a strong relationship between poverty, child abuse and neglect, as cited by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It’s our mission to support children and young people so they can achieve better life outcomes and reverse the impact of poverty.
  • Over half of those we support have experienced 5 + Adverse Childhood Experiences.

THE SOLUTION

  • We support children and young people on a Journey of Change through a range of adaptable programmes that are designed to meet identified needs. Using our outdoor site, we enable them to identify their barriers and choose their own challenges to overcome these.
  • We use three elements: Trauma Informed Child Development, using Outdoor Education and Green Spaces and Youth Work. Research shows the importance of these approaches and we see the powerful impacts these have on those we support.

IT’S WORKING!

Our Social Impact Report shows the ways in which we help those we support to turn their lives around. 100% of young people told us that we’ve helped them and that they’d recommend us to a friend. Furthermore, every parent and referrer said that we’d had a positive impact on their child/pupil.

Here is just one story:

Steph was referred to us having been out of school for 8 months. She suffered from high anxiety and would self-harm. She had experienced lots of trauma with the death of a close friend, had a turbulent home life and suffered from alopecia through stress. When she joined us, she engaged well in the activities, learning to recognise her achievements. She also made a friend who she maintained contact with. When we followed up 6 weeks after the sessions, she had returned to mainstream school. Her hair has also begun to grow back. Steph said she learned that “I’m more confident than I think I am.”

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

We’re seeing huge benefits to the young people we support, however there’s a lot more work to do:

  • For some young people, BF Adventure is their only source of education or appropriate social contact as they refuse all other provisions offered.
  • As young people gain our trust they also seek advice with us about other subjects such as domestic violence, drug abuse and housing issues.

We thank you in advance!

 

Team BF Adventure

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The world has entered unchartered territory with COVID-19. We are doing all we can to maintain services and will work with our young people to support hygiene measures such as handwashing. We will follow all official guidance but intend to stay open as long as it is safe to do so. You can read our full response here: BF Adventure – Coronavirus Management.

Please contact us with any questions you have on 01326 340912.

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The Rotary Clubs of Cober Valley, Helston-Lizard and Helston have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to us by donating £6,000 to be spent on essential equipment. This includes renewing our water fleet through the purchase of stand-up paddle boards and kayaks, made from recycled fishing nets by Odyssey Innovation. This is vital to us being able to continue to operate effectively in providing outdoor learning activities for disadvantaged young people.

More about our work

Throughout last year, we supported a wide range of disadvantaged young people, including Children in Care across our core programmes. Helping them on a journey of change, we use our site to enable them to identify and overcome their barriers. Activities range from water-sports to climbing, team-building games and more.

Such activities drastically improve the wellbeing of disadvantaged young people and particularly those with mental health issues. One such story has come from Holly, who initially had very low confidence. Through encouragement and support from staff and peers, she has started to step out of her comfort zone. She has challenged herself in new activities and has overcome her deep rooted fear of the water. This has now become her favourite activity.

Adrian Richards, CEO of BF Adventure said: “We are incredibly grateful for this support. Without it we couldn’t purchase this essential equipment and continue to deliver the life changing work that our fantastic staff provide to young people in Cornwall.”

The three Rotary Clubs have shown continued involvement above and beyond raising funds over the years. They have provided voluntary support with our core activities and provided volunteer labour in connection with substantial projects on the site.

Are you interested in supporting us?

If you would like to support BF Adventure financially or through volunteering, please contact us. Email enquiries@bfadventure.org, call 01326 340912 or see our website www.bfadventure.org.

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CALLING ALL TEACHERS!

Have you joined us in the past for a school residential? Could you refer another school to us? If so, we’d love to hear from you! Simply email bookings@bfadventure.org and copy in the teacher you are referring. We’ll give you a £100 voucher in return! How you use it would be up to you. Choose from our adventure sessions, holiday childcare, birthday parties or putting it towards another residential!

The difference you’re making…

When schools choose us for their residential, they are not only signing up for fun activities linked to the PSHE curriculum, the chance to explore our beautiful self-contained site and a hassle-free trip. They’re also providing a vital contribution to our charity work, where we support Cornish children and young people facing life’s toughest challenges. We work with ~ 4,000 young people a year, of whom 500 face multiple disadvantages including rurality and poverty. Over 200 receive specialist long term support from the charity to face learning and/or physical disabilities, behavioural challenges, mental ill health and other issues associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences.

Our Social Impact Report shows the powerful positive changes we help young people bring about in their lives. Here is just one story from Steph:

Steph was referred to us having been out of school for 8 months. She suffered from high anxiety and would self-harm. She had experienced lots of trauma with the death of a close friend, had a turbulent home life and suffered from alopecia through stress. When she joined us, she engaged well in the activities, learning to recognise her achievements. She also made a friend who she maintained contact with. When we followed up 6 weeks after the sessions, she had returned to mainstream school. Her hair has also begun to grow back. Steph said she learned that “I’m more confident than I think I am.”

By choosing BF Adventure and spreading the word, you’re making a vital difference, so we’d like to say a huge thank you!

Team BF Adventure