Reflecting on our 4th year (and it’s great to be back!)

We hereby our publish our 4th annual report …. but it’s not exactly hot news, and if you follow us on Facebook you’ll know that we’re back in action at The Foundry!

Yes, we’re back – running very small sessions so we can follow covid guidelines, and running about 6 sessions in a week, every 2 to 3 weeks. And we are arranging ‘taster’ sessions for new climbers too – though bear with us, as we need to fit everyone in.

Check out the latest pics on our Facebook page 😀

A less exciting success, but something we needed to do, is our report to the Charity Commission. It covers the August 2019 – July 2020 year of operation, so starts with climbing sessions in abundance and ends with the Covid-19 pandemic. For once we submitted the report in time for the deadline, phew. You can find the report on the Charity Register, along with the reports for our first 3 full years of operation, up to July 2017, July 2018 and July 2019. Here we are on the Charity Register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5079260.

Or if you just want to download the 2019-2020 report, it’s here:

So, what are the highlights in the report of our fourth full year?

  • We held 30 climbing sessions before the Covid pause.
  • This included 4 small taster sessions for new climbers to try out equipment and discover how they would like to climb.
  • There were 4 ‘special’ sessions to focus on particular needs.
  • We had a coaching session for regular climbers who wanted to extend their skills
  • There were 29 climbers in total, both children and adults
  • 27 volunteers helped at sessions, in addition to 4 trustees volunteering sometimes or regularly at sessions.
  • On 12 March 2020, trustees took the decision to cancel all arranged sessions due to the increasing coronavirus outbreak, noting that many of our climbers are particularly vulnerable. (Later in the month, the UK government announced the first national lockdown.)
  • Two well-attended online quizzes were held, to keep in touch with climbers and volunteers while climbing sessions were paused.
  • We didn’t hold a big fundraising event in this year, but we had generous donations from like-minded people and and clubs and events who raised money for us.
  • We knew we’d be back!

What are we pleased about?

Never mind the numbers, we’re really happy about:

  • The climbing experienced by our climbers
  • So much help from our wonderful volunteers
  • The experience gained by Foundry instructors in assisting differently abled climbers
  • Our role in promoting acceptance of differently abled climbers in mainstream climbing

THANK YOU!

Our volunteers make our sessions great and donated many hours of their time. And thanks are due to our sponsors and to all who made donations. This generous support makes it possible for us to run affordable sessions for all.

Grateful thanks also to the Foundry Climbing Centre, who contribute to everything we do, and provide a base for our activities.

HAPPY CLIMBING!

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