New climbing wall (17/5/08)
We are currently upgrading our on site climbing wall.  Adrian, Chris & Jo are building a new overhanging area & repainting the wall to make it brighter & fresher.  The project should be completed by the end of May.

Qualifications gained (4/5/08)
Our four Apprentice Tutors have all recently passed their two day first aid course & gained their UKCC level one canoe/kayak award.  Well done to all of you.

Greenhouses (4/5/08)
The two greenhouses are now fully operational.  They have been planted out with tomatoes, chillis, & a variety of other veg.  Hopefully we will have a successful crop to show everyone later this year.

Greenhouses (1/3/08)
Jimmy will be laying the foundations for our new greenhouse over the next few weeks.  The greenhouses are being erected by the path to the kennels & will be used to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, salad, etc.  The aim is to be able to show our clients where some of the food they eat really comes from & to supply our own kitchen with home grown produce.  Hopefully the greenhouses will be in operation by mid April.

Tree planting (1/3/08)
Over the last few weeks Jimmy & the Apprentice Tutors have been busy making a number of enclosures around the ground & planting native tree species within these enclosures.  We have planted around 150 trees including oak, ash, wild cherry and birch.

Calendar (1/3/08)
The website calendar has now ben updated to show availability until the end of 2012!  We aim to keep it updated on a regular basis.

Another staff wedding (28/1/08)
Rachael & Garry tied the knot in Austria last week. They combined their wedding with a weeks skiing.  We wish them all the best for their future.

Menu changes (19/1/08)
The online menu has had a few changes of late.  Some items have been dropped and others added.  Look out for our meat & potato pie, or try our mexican enchiladas.  Have a look on the "menu choices" section.

Staff training (19/1/08)
All staff renewed their first aid certificates in December.  A number of staff are currently re-doing their CRB checks; we re-do them on a three year basis.  Chris is currently on a four day HSE first aid course.

2008/9 bookings (19/1/08)
This is looking like another very busy year.  The only real availability this year is weekends in the Autumn.  Even if the date syou require are not available it is still worth being put on our cancellation list for the rare occasion that we have a last minute cancellation.  2009 is looking equally busy, although at the moment their are more weekends available.

Licence changes (19/1/08)
Following our AALS inspection in November last year, we have been granted another two year licence.  AALS identified our strengths as being our staff & our well maintained equipment, no weaknesses were identified.  Our BCU & RYA centre inspections have also been re-newed for another year.

Xmas re-decoration (19/1/08)
During the Xmas closedown the building underwent a massive re-decoration programme.  The drawing room was completely stripped & re-wallpapered, a number of bedrooms were re-painted and several rooms had new carpets.  The building now looks as good as new.

New Apprentice Tutors (19/1/08)
Four new apprentice tutors joined us on the 8th January for their first day of their year long placement.  Jo, Hannah, Katy & Steve have spent the last two weeks undergoing various staff training sessions.  They have been out learning how to drive our powerboats, how to navigate & various canoeing skills.  They have also spent some time with groups.  Over the next few months they will undertake more training & spend more time out on session with the full time tutors.  Details on the new Apprentice tutors can be found in the "Our Staff" section of the website.

New Apprentice Tutors appointed (14/11/07)
After a week of interviews we have now appointed three new Apprentice Tutors to join us in January. 
Further details will appear in January.

Xmas newsletter & card (14/11/07)
The Xmas 07 newsletter has been written & will be sent out with our Xmas card at the begginning of December.  The Xmas card was designed by a child from one of our regular schools.  The lucky winner of the Xmas card competition has not been informed yet, so watch this space.

National Governing Body Award courses 2008 (14/11/07)
Next August we are running a Mountain Leader training & assessment course, a Single pitch Award training & assessment course, and a Dinghy Instructor course.  Go to the NGB course section of our website for further details.

New high ropes elements(3/10/07)
Over the year Chris has been developing a couple of new high ropes elements.  We now have a higher Peter Pan & an Inclined Log challenge.  Both are perfect for enhancing teamwork between group members.

New orienteering courses(3/10/07)
The woods over the road now contain five new orienteering courses.  We will use the courses with groups who have done some orienteering before as the area is considerably more challenging than the courses around the main grounds.

New Staff(3/10/07)
Adrian Hooper has been with us for 2 months now & has settled in very well.  He is responsible for developing the rock climbing side of things & has some great ideas for re-developing our climbing wall - watch this space.  Since joining us Adrian has done his BCU L2 canoe training with a view to taking his assessment early next year.  He is an accomplished climber, mountaineer & caver & has already taken clients on some challenging walks & climbs.