Climbing is too good not to share. We started the Climbing for All Sheffield charity so that we could help more children, young people and adults to climb, regardless of their abilities and disabilities.
First Clare climbed, then Rafi too, and some others now and then. Nick had raised funds for equipment, and Nick and Helen had taken youngsters climbing from Kelford and Hilltop schools …
But how could Nick, Helen, Robin and their family and friends take everyone who wants to climb?
Starting a charity was exciting. What would the charity’s objectives be? How would the charity operate? Nick drafted objectives, and here is how they looked in December 2015:
- To provide opportunities for children, young people and adults with a wide range of disabilities to access and enjoy rock climbing and mountaineering and be visible and included in the climbing community in Sheffield.
- To increase levels of participation of children, young people and adults with a wide range of disabilities in rock climbing and mountaineering, in order to:
- Improve their physical development, health and wellbeing;
- Improve their self-image and self-esteem; and
- Develop their confidence and ability to communicate and interact with other people.
- To develop a strong and sustainable network of instructors with the qualifications, skills and experience needed to confidently help children, young people and adults with a wide range of disabilities to access and enjoy rock climbing and mountaineering.
We felt that a climbing club would address all these objectives, with a regular climbing and social night, operating from the Foundry, where instructors and volunteers would gain experience assisting with a range of additional climbing needs, and where our climbers could be part of the climbing community.
We held a ‘Climbing for All’ workshop to learn about and build links with inclusive climbing nationwide. We wrote a ‘governing document’ for our charitable organisation and were granted charitable status. And we started planning our launch!
climbingforallsheffield 